By Matthew Tabe
Nigeria’s two main political parties – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), have begun trading words over allegations of drug trafficking and money maundering levied against the APC presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organisation has frowned at the scenario, saying that Tinubu has some questions to answer following the release of the certified true copies of court documents on the forfeiture of $460,000 to the United States authorities.
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Quest Times gathered in a Communiqué signed by PDP Spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Thursday, that the Atiku/Okowa campaign said that the forfeiture linked Tinubu to a drug cartel operating in the US.
Ologbondiyan explained that the funds were forfeited because they were proceeds of illegal drug trade, as opposed to a tax deduction as claimed by Festus Keyamo, the Campaign mouthpiece of Tinubu.
The statement reads, “The forfeiture of $460,000 by Tinubu to the authorities of the United States of America establishes a connection to drug money. How for instance, will our nation cope with a President who will be consistently harassed, intimidated and blackmailed by a drug cartel?
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“It is also disturbing that Asiwaju Tinubu’s handlers are running around an ocean of excuses from where they have been fetching what they believe will convince Nigerians.
“We ask; what business was Asiwaju Tinubu running that such a whopping sum of $460,000 would be deducted as tax from his account?
“It is easily deductible that the $460,000 removed from the account represented the illicit fund that accrued from the drug.
“That accounts for the reason why no other sum was removed from the account contrary to the argument from Tinubu’s minders that the amount represented a tax.
“If indeed, like Asiwaju Tinubu’s handlers have said, Tinubu ‘took responsibility’ for drugs money, it goes with saying that he must also take responsibility for the consequences of that action.
On his part, Keyamo challenged the PDP by saying the party went to the United States of America to dust old documents as distraction to the electorates.
He said “the 10 accounts were linked to Tinubu, by US authorities in the early 90s, $460,000 were deducted from one of the accounts as tax on investments domiciled in US banks.”
Keyamo reiterated that Tinubu took responsibility for all the 10 accounts because they were also traced to his mother and ‘relatives,’ noting that the APC presidential candidate was roped in the drug trafficking case of two Nigerians who once stayed in separate flats in the same building where he stayed at a time in the US.
According to him, Tinubu was an employee of Mobil Oil and not a treasurer of a drug cartel. Adding that Tinubu deposited some funds in bank accounts in the US as investments and got returns on those investments.
“The banks were supposed to deduct taxes from the investments but they did not and this was not a “deliberate act” on the part of Tinubu. The deposits he made there (in banks) are what bankers called investments; he kept the money there and he was getting interests. They (US government) said he had not paid tax on those interests. That is all and guess what? The banks are supposed to deduct the tax from source.
“Out of the 10 accounts, it was only one account – the one in Heritage Bank – that they took $460,000 as tax on interest that he benefited on the investment he made in those accounts. In fact, all the money in Heritage Bank was not taken; they took only $460,000 as tax.”
He further stated that the PDP team went to the US to dust old documents,’ while insisting that there was no criminal indictment or conviction against Tinubu, alleging that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was behind the reincarnation of the controversial court document.
“His (Tinubu’s) detractors kept bringing up these issues over and over when his political profile is rising, when he wants to run for office or any political turn in his life, they will bring up these issues. They went to the US for when they pretended that they went for high-level engagement. This is part of the high-level engagement they went for,” Keyamo said.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to respond to a suit seeking to disqualify Tinubu over breach of section 90 of the Electoral Act, thereby raising tensions in the APC camp.
The court, in a ruling delivered by Justice Ahmed Mohammed, equally granted leave to the plaintiff, Incorporated Trustees of Kingdom Human Rights Foundation International, to apply for an order of mandamus against the INEC boss, Prof Mahmood Yakubu.
It ordered the INEC Chairman, APC and Tinubu, who were all cited as 1st to 3rd defendants in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1960/2022, to file their defence before November 15, when it adjourned the matter for hearing.
“A declaration that by operation of law and having regard to the clear, unambiguous and express provisions, spirit and tenor of Section 90 (3) read alongside section 84 (13) of the Electoral Act 2022, the 3rd defendant Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is not a candidate for the 2023 Presidential election, and he is automatically excluded, expunged, and removed from participating in the 2023 presidential election for failure of the 2nd Defendant to comply with the mandatory provisions of Section 90 (3) of the Electoral Act 2022 in nominating the 3rd defendant as its presidential candidate.
INEC Spokesman, Festus Okoye, keeps mum
When our correspondent put several calls and texts messages accross to the phone contact of INEC Commissioner of Information, Barr. Festus Okoye, he neither picked nor responded to the messages at the time of filing this report on Friday night.
Nigerians expressed mixed feelings on Tinubu’s drugs allegation
Meanwhile, Nigerians have continued to pour out their feelings on social media regarding the statement credited to Barr. Daniel Bwala, one of Atiku’s spokesman.
Recall that Barr. Bwala had on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily programme disclosed that the presidential candidate of the APC might be disqualified from contesting if the alleged drugs case goes to court on Thursday.
Some of the comments on the issue QUEST TIMES monitored online are:
@victory_maka said “Tinubu doesn’t deserve to our president as God of ObiDatta at work.”
On his part @samobisesan posted ” The fact is that both PDP and labour party knows Tinubu is the sure candidate and next president of Nigeria, they are just trying to remove him by hook or crook, however they tried it can’t work.
@bmpforlife said “APC had likes of Fashola, Osinbajo and Amechi all from South but the delegates won’t vote for them, they would rather collect money from a drug dealer and vote for him, now see the outcome.”
Also @musaisahesg stressed “The word is if Bwala doesn’t know criminal law at all with due respect.”
More followers have continued to share their views in support and against Barr. Bwala’s utterance on the APC candidate at the time of filing this report.