All Progressives Congress (APC) National Awareness for Youth Vanguard, has kicked against the call made by an activist, Mr Deji Adeyanju, on Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the bullion vans recently found in the Bourdillon home of the party’s National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for alleged financial impropriety, describing the claim as not only preposterous but baseless.
Adeyanju, a known opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) activist, had recently submitted a petition to EFCC office, calling on the commission to cause investigations into the bullion vans found on the premises of Tinubu on the eve of one of the last general election held in the country.
The youth group expressed their displeasure on Sunday in a statement jointly signed by its national coordinator, Alhaji Muktar Abubakar and national secretary, Mr Dayo Ogunjebe, even as it urged the PDP to call not only Adeyanju to order but all its other members “regarding who they try to denigrate.”
According to the youth group, this is because Asiwaju Tinubu and some certain persons are above their class and should be spared such disrespect.
“PDP should call its members to order regarding who they try to denigrate as certain persons are above their class and should be spared such inanities,” APC youths said.
APC youths, while dismissing the petition by Adeyanju and his group as lacking basis, said this was because nobody had ever questioned the source of income of the APC National Leader as he had submitted himself to scrutiny on the two occasions he ran as governor of Lagos State.
Besides, the group said all companies owned by the former Lagos governor were registered and known to Nigerians “and from which he pays taxes to the Nigerian Government.”
“Urging EFFC to institute a probe on the APC leader because a bullion van suspected to be carrying money was parked at his premises on a particular day misses the point as the EFCC Act only enables the commission to investigate those whose lifestyles are suspected to be at variance with their known sources of income, not those who decide to use their wealth to help the masses,” the group said.
It contended that the activist, who claimed to know that it was cash that was ferried in the bullion van could not tell how much it was for EFCC to confirm it was above the means of the APC Leader and hence should be investigated.
“The group also did not tell us how much they suspect the APC leader to be worth that makes what he is carrying to be considered as beyond his legitimate income.
“The APC leader has never hidden his love for the masses and his philanthropic acts which are well known and recorded did not start in 2019. It was through the contribution of Tinubu that the APC administration which people are hailing for improving on the lot of the Nigerian masses came on board.
“That means that without the contribution of Tinubu all the dividends of democracy being enjoyed by Nigerians like the boom in rice production, availability of fuel, the railway lines, signing of the Deep Offshore Bill as well as bringing accountability to the public sector would not have been possible.
“A party leader who was instrumental to bringing all these to Nigerians deserves respect rather than suspicion,” APC youths said.
Speaking on the petition and the way and manner it was delivered to the EFCC, the APC youth vanguard said the process of the submission came with a lot of drama and pretensions that questioned the motive behind the resolve of the complainant as submission of petitions were usually done with seriousness and discretion given the sensitivity of the work of the commission.
“But what we saw is a gathering of attention-seeking urchins making all manners of claims against one of the most respected politicians in Nigeria today. While not in any way disturbed by the submission of the group, there’s a need to put things in their proper perspectives on what they said the petition is all about,” the party youths said.
According to them, “Adeyanju and his group claim to be fighting on behalf of the masses but we wish to state that this is not only a lie but a self-serving claim that has no connection with reality.
“This is because Adeyanju and his group have no history or background of popular struggle. They are only willing puppets in the hands of some corrupt politicians who represent the ugliest parts of our history,” they added.
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