The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says President-elect Bola Tinubu has no moral justification to speak on the issue of corruption as he “promoted and institutionalized corruption as an act of governance” during his eight-year tenure as Governor of Lagos State.
Reacting to Tinubu’s promise to fight corruption while addressing a press conference at the party headquarters in Abuja on Friday, National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Debo Ologunagba, said the statement by the President-elect is “completely sacrilegious and an assault on the sensibility of Nigerians, having regards to his records of alleged corruption and having been described variously as an embodiment of corruption in his public life.”
The main opposition party also warned the “Judiciary to be wary of attempts by the APC and its Presidential candidate to patronize them in the course of the discharge of their Constitutional duties as impartial arbiter, particularly in the pending Petition before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.”
Ologunagba flanked by other party leaders said: “It is in the public domain that as Governor of Lagos State, Senator Tinubu promoted and institutionalized corruption as an act of governance. It is on record that Senator Tinubu is alleged to be deeply involved in the infamous cases involving Alpha Beta Consulting Limited and Alpha Beta LLP, allegedly owned and controlled by him and through which over N100 billion belonging to Lagos State was reportedly stolen through shady tax collection deals.
“It is also public knowledge that there has been numerous allegations and evidence of corruption and complicity by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the declaration of Senator Tinubu as winner of the February 25, 2023 Presidential election. Today Nigerians and indeed the world believe that declaration was a product of corruption of the Process, Institutions and the Law by the APC and its Presidential candidate.
“It is therefore ludicrous that an individual who has been widely alleged to be an enabler and beneficiary of corruption can attempt to put himself forward to Nigerians as a champion of anti-corruption. Of course, corruption cannot fight corruption!”
PDP said if Tinubu is desirous of fighting corruption, he should publicly and personally address Nigerians, “on the numerous allegations of corruption, including the Alpha Beta cases and alleged improper acquisition and conversion of Lagos State Government landed properties worth billions of naira to himself, family, associates and cronies”.
