Ahead of today’s arraignment of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) in Abuja, the former governor of Lagos State has alleged that the evidence used against him were manufactured by the attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke. Tinubu believes the documents were cooked up in connivance with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The former governor and ACN chief is facing charges of illegally maintaining several foreign bank accounts in the United Kingdom and the United States of America. In a statement released yesterday by his media office, Tinubu said the AGF and the PDP were carrying out the script of the president. He noted that the federal government resorted to manufacturing evidence because they realised that they had no witnesses to prove the allegations against him. ‘‘The resort to these subterranean moves is caused by their failure to get credible individuals to come forward as witnesses to prove their allegations against me,” the statement read.
He, however, claimed that the federal government has no evidence against him but wondered why it continues to squander public funds on frivolous and politically motivated investigations and trial against imaginary enemies like himself. The former governor urged the federal government to make public how much is spent on ‘‘witch-hunting’’ him because, according to him, the public would like to know, after five years, how much has been expended on this case. Tinubu added that he was “eagerly anxious for government to prove its case beyond reasonable doubts,” even as he believed he is being persecuted to kill virile opposition in the country.
He also alleged that the office of the AGF was misleading the public by leaking false information to the media that the charges against him would be amended to include perjury to make the trial watertight. He accused the government of playing double standard. “It is deceitful and clear subterfuge for government to continue to mouth the rule of law, while hounding political opponents and applying different standard of justice to members of the opposition while shielding its members from prosecution,” he stressed.
The former governor, however, expressed his confidence in the judiciary to dispense justice without fear or favour. While calling on the government to give accurate information to the public on his foreign accounts, the ACN national leader advised his supporters to remain calm.
Tinubu’s ordeal started in 2006 when then President Olusegun Obasanjo set up a task force headed by then chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission( EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu to probe governors. Tinubu and 14 other governors were indicted at the time.