The National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, has insisted that the scandal involving the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC, led by its purported Director General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, has exposed President Bola Tinubu’s Presidency as a den of corruption.
Abdullahi said Nigerians should be embarrassed that the PFIPC scam has created a bad impression of the country before the international community.
In an interview with Symfoni TV, Abdullahi said Nigerians and the world now see Tinubu’s Presidency as one involved in racketeering.
He said: “Not just Tinubu but all of us as Nigerians should feel collectively embarrassed because the impression that has been created before the world today is that the Nigerian presidency is a den of corruption, there has been whispers of people taking money to award contracts, taking money in the presidency to arrangement appointment with the president, people taking money to get appointments for people in agencies and parastatals, we never believed it because we said that it could never be that bad.
“I have been a minister and I compared my time and I said it’s not possible but with this Adeyemi’s allegation, people are thinking that this is just the one that is out, this thing has been going on for a long time and it’s just business as usual under Tinubu, this is just the one that got out.”
He charged Tinubu to ensure that the matter is properly investigated to clear his Presidency of being complicit in corruption.
“And that is why I said that Tinubu has a duty to himself to ensure that this matter is investigated and proven beyond all doubts that his presidency is not complicit in this level of corruption that has shaken the firmament of our nation.
“He started by exonerating his Chief of Staff that I have confidence in him but what people are hearing is I’m protecting my Chief of Staff, it’s not good for him,” he said.
Abdullahi charged Gbajabiamila to proceed on leave and allow for an independent investigation into the scam.
He added: “People believe that the Chief of Staff has colluded in corruption of this magnitude but he said no I have no hand in it, then why are you afraid of an independent panel to investigate? If I were Gbajabiamila, I would go to the president and say I offer to go on leave because it’s my name that is being dragged in the mud and no amount of money on earth is worth my name.
“I offer to proceed on leave so that this investigation can be carried out so that I can be exonerated beyond all doubts but you are sitting in the office while all this stench of corruption is spelling around you?”
