A former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, has corroborated Reno Omokri’s claim that he hired Segun Showunmi as spokesperson to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar during the 2019 presidential campaign.
Metuh confirmed that Omokri was indeed the one who hired Showunmi, following a recommendation from him.
This is according to Metuh in a confirmation gotten from him by our correspondent on Tuesday morning.
He said, “It happened in 2018 when I was still in politics. When Reno called me to recommend someone for Atiku, I initially thought of Deji Adeyanju, but I remembered that he had left the PDP. I had encouraged him to set up an advocacy group to fight Nigeria’s course.
“Then, I remembered Segun, so I recommended Segun to Reno. I told him to call Reno and he called Reno and that was it.”
Metuh further stated that there was no controversy about the process that led to Showunmi’s announcement as Atiku’s spokesperson.
“There is absolutely no controversy about that,” he stated.
Before ending the call, Metuh added, “I don’t think they are (Reno and Segun) still in PDP anymore, and so, there is no controversy about that.”
Omokri, who served as spokesperson to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, had made the initial claim during an interview on The Honest Bunch podcast, where he pushed back against a suggestion that he gained public prominence through his association with Atiku Abubakar, KUKURUKU Online earlier reported.
In the same interview, Omokri also published a version of his remarks on Facebook.
He said: “If I am nothing at all, I am a meticulous record keeper. In May 2018, Olisa Metuh, the former spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party, recommended Segun Showunmi for the role of spokesman Waziri Atiku Abubakar.
“Mr. Metuh asked Segun Showunmi to send his resume (what we call a CV) to me. Thereafter, Olisa Metuh asked Segun Showunmi to contact me for a job interview.
“I spoke to Segun Showunmi from California and negotiated his salary with him. I thereafter informed Waziri Atiku Abubakar, and Segun Showunmi was announced as his spokesman on the terms I negotiated with him.
“If there is any controversy or if anybody is using foul language to deny the obvious truth, then I urge the media to contact Mr. Olisa Metuh, who is an eyewitness and who was the one who recommended Segun Showunmi to me for employment as Waziri Atiku’s spokesman.
“After he was employed, Mr. Segun Showunmi returned to Mr. Olisa Metuh to thank him for recommending him to me.
“I do not want to be forced to publish no evidence. I would rather not. But if I have to, then I can.
“I urge anyone wanting to deny the obvious to think twice. Again, I repeat that if I am nothing at all, at least I am a meticulous record keeper.”
Meanwhile, KUKURUKU Online reported that Showunmi had swiftly on Monday night faulted Omokri’s claim tagging it as “rubbish.”
However, Showunmi has yet to respond to the SMS and WhatsApp texts sent to him as calls made to his line didn’t go through as of press time.
