Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has called on President Bola Tinubu to suspend his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to allow what he described as a transparent and independent investigation into fresh corruption allegations against the former Speaker of the House of Representatives.
In a statement released on Tuesday by his media aide, Paul Ibe, Atiku said the allegations against Gbajabiamila were too serious to be ignored and deserved a full investigation.
He expressed concern over claims that the President’s Chief of Staff allegedly diverted tens of billions of naira in oil and gas royalties from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) by relying on what he described as a fake law.
According to Atiku, the allegations go beyond politics and raise important questions about transparency, accountability and the fight against corruption in Nigeria.
He argued that public officials should be held to the same standard regardless of their position if the country’s anti-corruption campaign is to remain credible.
Drawing a comparison with the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, Atiku recalled that the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, was suspended while corruption allegations against him were investigated.
He insisted that Gbajabiamila should be treated in the same manner, stressing that a suspension would not amount to a declaration of guilt but would allow investigators to carry out their work without interference.
Atiku also accused the Federal Government of applying double standards by aggressively pursuing opposition figures while allegedly failing to act on corruption allegations involving top government officials.
He urged President Tinubu to demonstrate his commitment to accountability by ordering a thorough, transparent and impartial investigation into the allegations.
As of the time of this report, neither the Presidency nor Femi Gbajabiamila had officially responded to Atiku’s latest remarks.
