Presidency claims Okah's Al-Jazeera interview is fake

Ihuoma Chiedozie

The Presidency has cast doubts on the authenticity of Tuesday's interview granted an international satellite network, Al Jazeera, by a former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, Mr. Henry Okah.

The interview, in which Okah claimed that a close aide of President Goodluck Jonathan called him to get MEND to retract an email statement claiming responsibility for the October 1 bomb blasts in Abuja, had been a subject of controversy, particularly relating to the 2011 presidential election.

Okah, who is currently standing trial on terrorism charges in South Africa, claimed in the interview that Jonathan intended to put the blame for the attacks on Northern politicians contending for the Peoples Democratic Party's presidential ticket with him.

But the Presidency on Thursday added another twist to the development, which had since become a political issue.

A highly placed presidential source in the presidency, who did not wish to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, told journalists on Thursday that there were considerable doubts about the authenticity of the interview.

The source explained that the doubts stemmed from latest findings by intelligence operatives. The source claimed that the voice in the report might not have been Oka's own, but was faked and sold to the network.