Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has called on President Bola Tinubu to suspend his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, over allegations of a N400 million bribery scandal and questions surrounding a N27.4bn budgetary allocation.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Atiku Media Office, the former vice president said President Tinubu must demonstrate leadership by ensuring that members of his administration are held accountable for their actions.
Atiku was reacting to allegations made by Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), against Gbajabiamila. He argued that the Chief of Staff’s reported claim that the PFIPC does not exist had only deepened concerns over the matter.
According to Atiku, “how can you allocate N27.4 billion in the budget to a government agency that doesn’t exist without leaving more questions than answers.”
He maintained that the explanation attributed to the Chief of Staff had created fresh credibility concerns for the Federal Government.
“The Chief of Staff’s claim only created more problems for the government,” Atiku said, adding that allocating N27.4 billion to an agency allegedly described as non-existent “puts question marks on the credibility of the entire 2026 national budget.”
The former vice president described the allegations as too serious to be ignored, saying the matter involved potential budgetary irregularities that required an independent investigation.
According to him, the alleged fraud “cannot be swept under the carpet by weak and unconvincing explanations by the Chief of Staff.”
Atiku urged President Tinubu to suspend Gbajabiamila while an independent probe is conducted to establish the facts.
He said, “Good governance is based on transparency and accountability and you can’t achieve that by protecting your family and friends. President Tinubu must lead by example by holding his Chief of Staff to the same standards of accountability as other public officials.”
The ADC presidential candidate stressed that the amount involved warranted serious scrutiny.
“N27 billion is not a joke. The rule of law must prevail in this issue. Let President Tinubu prove to Nigerians that he is sincerely committed to accountability in his administration,” he added.
(The Whistler)
