Breaking: Tinubu Told to Suspend Gbajabiamila as Chief of Staff, Reason Emerges
- Atiku Abubakar slammed Femi Gbajabiamila over allegations of a N400 million bribery scandal and questions surrounding a purported N27.4 billion budgetary allocation
- The former vice president said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must demonstrate leadership by ensuring that members of his administration are held accountable for their actions
- The ADC chieftain maintained that the explanation attributed to the chief of staff has created fresh credibility concerns for the federal government
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over nine years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs, and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja - Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has asked President Bola Tinubu to suspend Femi Gbajabiamila, the Nigerian leader's chief of staff (CoS).
In a statement by Atiku’s media office on Tuesday afternoon, June 30, obtained by Legit.ng, Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 elections, advised President Tinubu to “lead by example by holding his own appointees accountable for their actions.”
Source: Facebook
The Femi Gbajabiamila controversy
Reacting to the N400 million bribery allegations against Gbajabiamila by Adeniyi Adeyemi, the director-general (DG) of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Atiku asserted that “an independent investigation be carried out to establish the whole truth about this national scandal.”
Adeyemi had said at a recent press conference that Gbajabiamila received N400 million through a proxy and demanded an additional N200 million to secure his appointment.
Adeyemi claimed that Gbajabiamila also demanded 48 per cent of the PFIPC’s N27.4 billion take-off grant, a request he said he rejected.
The allegations come amid a dispute over the agency’s existence after Gbajabiamila, in a June 11 statement, said the PFIPC did not exist under President Bola Tinubu’s administration and that Adeyemi had never been appointed to head it.
Adeyemi described the denial as an attempt to “silence legitimate questions,” stating that it stemmed from his refusal to yield to the alleged demands of the president’s chief of staff.
Source: Twitter
Atiku demands Gbajabiamila's suspension, probe
Wading into the controversy, Atiku questioned how Nigerian authorities would allegedly allocate N27.4 billion in the budget to “a government agency that doesn’t exist without leaving more questions than answers."
The opposition leader stated that this alleged colossal budgetary fraud cannot be swept under the carpet by weak and unconvincing explanations by the chief of staff, Vanguard reported.
The ex-Nigerian No.2 citizen recommended that Gbajabiamila be suspended, and an independent investigation be carried out to establish the whole truth about this national scandal.
He said, according to The Punch:
"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. 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.”
Read more on Femi Gbajabiamila:
- Cabinet reshuffle: Why Gbajabiamila is still the best for Tinubu’s administration, group speaks
- Gbajabiamila: Activist sends crucial message to Tinubu’s CoS over social media regulation
- Betta Edu: Speaker Abbas speaks on corruption allegation against Gbajabiamila
Gbajabiamila speaks on minimum wage
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Gbajabiamila signalled the present administration's readiness to reopen negotiations on the N70,000 national minimum wage.
The former speaker of the House of Representatives stated this in Abuja at an event organised by Working People United.
Gbajabiamila noted that the N70,000 minimum wage approved by Tinubu in 2024 no longer reflects the current economic realities in Nigeria.
Source: Legit.ng
