I was poisoned at PDP Secretariat, my liver, kidney shut down – Wike

By Musa Baba Adamu

Former Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, on Sunday, disclosed that he was poisoned at the secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in 2018.

Wike said the poison affected his liver and kidneys, adding that it almost killed him but for God’s intervention.

He disclosed this during a special

Thanksgiving service organised by his family at the St. Peters Deanery, Rumuepirikom, Obio-Akpor area of the state.

The former governor said he was flown to Beirut at midnight, where doctors informed him that his liver and kidneys were gone.

According to wike, after attending to him, the doctors informed him that the organs were working again.

He said the doctors discharged him after about a week and asked him to return home, noting that he altered his itinerary during the campaign for his second term.

The former Governor said everybody became a suspect as he decided that he would not enter any party leader’s home during the course of his campaigns.

Narrating how he almost died of poisoning, Wike said: “God was in charge, everybody who knew how we came to power in 2015, knew it was turbulent.

“But God saw us through. When you are in office, many people think things are going well with you. Nobody wants to find out the problems you are facing as a human.

“In December 2018, it was the day my former Chief of Staff was going to have thanksgiving. I was to attend that thanksgiving. From that Sunday on, I never came down from my room. It was bad.

“But those who attended the January 1 state banquet of 2019 will know that I never spoke that day. I just sat down there and told the deputy governor to speak on my behalf. I thought it was over.

“I didn’t know I had been poisoned at our party’s secretariat, the doctors, after some treatments, returned and told me my organs had started working again.”

Canada confirms sale of aircraft leased to Arik Air, asks EFCC not to interfere

By Abubakar Yunusa Abuja

The Export Development Canada (EDC) has asked the Economic Financial and Crime Commission (EFCC) to stop interference in the sales of its mortgaged aircraft by JEM Leasing, the owner.

EDC is a crown corporation, wholly owned by the government of Canada.

The aircraft, CRJ 1000, is a twinengined regional airliner with a capacity of 100 passengers.

Earlier in the month, Arik Air had said it removed the CRJ 1000 aircraft from its fleet, due to the decision of JEM Leasing Limited, the owners of the CRJ 1000, and its financiers to sell the aircraft.

Following a petition filed by Johnson Arumemi, founder of Arik Air, the EFCC is said to be working to lay off EDC’s mortgage rights.

A legal mortgagee has a right or remedy to enter upon and take possession of the mortgaged property until the amount of the loan with interest is recovered.

In a letter addressed to the commission, and seen by TheCable, EDC said it financed, in part, Jem Leasing’s acquisition of the aircraft; and became the mortgagee as a condition to the financing.

“The aircraft remains mortgaged to EDC. We confirm the veracity of the statements set out in the owner’s letter, including that the owner has entered into an agreement with Alberta Aviation Capital Corp (the buyer) to sell the aircraft to the buyer,” EDC said.

EDC said the agreement was entered into with its consent and at its request.

“We understand that the EFCC may have taken certain steps that prevent the buyer from having access to the aircraft,” EDC said.

EDC said it also understands that “certain press reports allege that the owner has dissociated itself from the sale of the aircraft to the buyer and the plan to tear down the aircraft, and called for an investigation into his asset destruction and the claims of Arik Air in relation to the aircraft”.

The Canadian corporation said the allegations are untrue, stating that the owner has “confirmed that it has agreed to sell the aircraft to the buyer, that the buyer is authorised to tear down the aircraft, and that Arik Air has no interest in the aircraft”.

“As stated in the owner’s letter, any interference action by Arik, or any other person, which impedes the buyer’s access to the aircraft, or any of the other steps, matters, processes or transactions, will constitute improper interference with the owner’s (and/or the buyer’s) rights in respect of the aircraft,” EDC said.

“Any such interference would also constitute improper interference