Ad image

Alleged tax default: Buhari out to silence Obasanjo using EFCC –Atiku

Ezekiel Johnson
Ezekiel Johnson
Atiku attacks Buhari: Stop bullying judiciary, explain why you failed
Atiku and Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari is out to silence former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, by accusing him of defaulting in the payment of tax to the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS.

This remark was made by former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, on Monday in a statement issued by his media office.

He accused the federal government of spreading false news about the former president.

It would be recalled that Obasanjo has been a strong critic of the Buhari administration.

Ahead of the 2019 election, he had openly called on Buhari not to run for a second term, arguing that he did not have the answers to the nation’s problems.

Defending Obasanjo against alleged default in the payment of tax to FIRS, among others, Atiku  said:

“The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is feeding members of the media with deliberate falsehoods in an attempt to cause disaffection and bad blood between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his former deputy, Atiku Abubakar, on one hand, and between former President Obasanjo and Nigerians in general.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Mallam Babalele Abdullahi, Atiku Abubakar’s son-in-law, did not donate any money in cash to the Olusegun Obasanjo Library. Yes, he did facilitate a donation of fifty million naira to the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, but so did many other individuals, including civic-minded traditional rulers, state Governors, bankers and captains of industry.

“This is because the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library is a non-governmental organisation that plays a pivotal role in promoting peace and stability in Nigeria, and that should be applauded.”

“Donations to institutions set up to promote peace in Nigeria and Africa are to be commended, not criminalised. Presidential libraries in America and other parts of the world are similarly funded by donations from civic-minded individuals,” he added.

He stated further:  “For the avoidance of doubt, Mallam Abdullahi’s donation of fifty million naira was made via a bank transfer, in full compliance with the law. He did not donate or make any payment in cash, as the EFCC is erroneously and salaciously misleading the public. Furthermore, the sources of these funds are completely legitimate and have been conclusively proven to the EFCC. It is instructive to note that even the EFCC has not once claimed these funds to be the proceeds of any illegal activity whatsoever.

“The truth is that there is desperation on the part of the current administration to rope in former President Olusegun Obasanjo into a crime as a way of silencing his voice, which they see as the preeminent critical voice against the misrule that they have foisted on Nigerians.

“This is why they asked the Federal Inland Revenue Service to falsely and libelously include his name in a published list of tax evaders, along with the names of other Peoples Democratic Party sympathisers, such as prominent international singer and pride of Nigeria, Davido, who played a prominent role in PDP’s gubernatorial campaign in Osun State, for which he is being punished.’’

He berated the EFCC, saying it was being used as an instrument of propaganda.

Share this Article
Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *