The Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, Femi Adesina, has dismissed allegations of corruption by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the President.
At a press briefing earlier on Thursday, the Director of Media and Publicity for the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Kola Ologbondiyan, alleged that some very close relations of the President have acquired shares in major companies worth over one trillion Naira.
He further stated that some of those relations are hiding under the president’s his cover to commit corrupt financial dealings both at home and abroad.
Adesina, however, described the allegations as “lies” and challenged the PDP to produce evidence of its claim.
He said, “Did they give you any evidence? And I’m sure you as a journalist would know that the allegation is not even worth the paper on which it is written, if it is written at all.
“They are just conjectures that they can’t prove”.
He also described some of the allegations as “dead as a doornail” saying some of the issues “have been laid to rest by those concerned”.
When asked if the integrity of the President was being put to a test, the presidential spokesperson rebuffed the notion saying, “I disagree with that”.
“The integrity is not tested at all. Wild allegations do not test integrity.
“People are just banding all sorts of allegations now. It does not amount to a test of the integrity of the President.
“The good book says when the devil lies, he speaks his natural language. Another translation says when the devil lies, he speaks his mother tongue.
“When some people lie now, it sounds like their natural language. We have just heard some of it on this programme this evening… lies upon lies upon lies… allegations that they are trying to pass off as facts.
“But the truth of it is that they have nothing to tell Nigerians except they try to impound the integrity of Mr President and I tell them it’s a losing battle because Nigerians have confidence in this president, they know that he’s a man of integrity so all that they are throwing or attempting to throw at the president is just like water off the duck’s back,” he added.
When asked why it appeared as though the President was covering the investigation of issues involving the former Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina, the former Secretary General of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, sacked over allegations of corruption, as well as the monies recovered from the Ikoyi Apartment, Mr Adesina explained that investigation was still in progress.
“Those are running matters and the investigative agencies are at work.
“When they have concluded their investigations and they have a watertight case, I’m sure they will take those things before the law. It’s not a matter for the Presidency,” he said.
Also responding to criticisms regarding the Aide de Camp of the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, who was accused of fraud, Adesina said she ought to be commended for turning him in.
He said, “On the matter of the ADC to the wife of the President, rather would you not applaud the wife of the President for giving up the man, for turning him in when those allegations were filed against him?
“You should rather commend the wife of the President for turning the man in. But you see, when people want to find faults, they lose reasoning, they lose senses and they turn their facts upside down most of the times.”
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