“When PDP Abandoned Me, It Was Tinubu and Hope Uzodimma Who Stood By Me” — Olisa Metuh

Chief Olisa Metuh has opened up on what he described as the most difficult period of his political and personal life, stating that at the height of his legal troubles, the Peoples Democratic Party, to which he had devoted decades of service, abandoned him completely. Speaking during a thanksgiving service in Abuja to mark his 60th birthday, the former National Publicity Secretary of the PDP said he never imagined that the party he defended so passionately would fail to stand by him when it mattered most.

Metuh, who served a 10-month jail term following his corruption trial, recalled the emotional toll of the ordeal and the shock he felt when none of the figures he had worked closely with came to identify with him. “My trial was one of the worst things that happened to me,” he said. “The day I was convicted, I celebrated. I did not see my party; I did not see the people I suffered for. I was in the court with my family.”

He explained that in the midst of that despair, the people who offered comfort were those he had fiercely opposed in the political arena. “When PDP abandoned me, it was Tinubu and Hope Uzodimma who stood by me,” he said. Metuh revealed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, then leader of the opposition, sent the Speaker of the House of Representatives at the time, Femi Gbajabiamila, to visit him and offer support. “He reached out to me, he comforted me and he did a lot of things for me then. This is someone who was my political enemy,” he said. Governor Hope Uzodimma, he added, also remained a steady source of encouragement.

Metuh reflected on earlier years when he refused political overtures from the APC, including offers passed through associates and even direct invitations. “All my life, I gave it to the PDP. Fashola was my classmate at Law School. He would call me to come and take land in Ikoyi, and I would say: ‘How can I take land from the APC?’ That was how committed I was,” he noted. He also recounted occasions when Tinubu tried to work with him, even after the 2015 elections, but he declined out of loyalty to his party.

Having now returned to political activity, Metuh said he is determined to contribute to national stability and democratic growth. He stressed the importance of a strong opposition in preventing the nation from slipping into a one-party structure. “We need space in our democracy. We need a vibrant opposition. There are a lot of credible citizens—Atiku Abubakar is a very credible person, Peter Obi is a very credible person, David Mark is very credible,” he said.

He explained that although he has chosen not to join the APC despite repeated invitations, he intends to support the government’s efforts to tackle national challenges. “I am trying to make sure that I assist the government at the centre and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to deliver the dividends of democracy,” he said.

Metuh added that his renewed political involvement will align with Governor Uzodimma, saying, “Anywhere Governor Hope Uzodimma goes, there I shall go too.”

The thanksgiving service drew several prominent guests, including Governor Uzodimma, former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim, former governors Okezie Ikpeazu, Sam Egwu, Ikedi Ohakim and Emeka Ihedioha, as well as Senators Victor Umeh and Tony Nwoye.