Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has called for an independent investigation into the alleged diversion of N54 billion in oil and gas royalties linked to the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Atiku’s demand follows an investigative report alleging that Gbajabiamila used a purportedly fraudulent law to obtain presidential approval for the diversion of billions of naira in royalties from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Atiku Media Office, the former vice president accused the Tinubu administration of deploying anti-corruption agencies against opposition figures while failing to hold senior government officials accountable.
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“This issue goes beyond partisan politics; it is about the impunity of corruption that undermines the welfare and future of ordinary Nigerians,” Atiku said.
He argued that the allegations raised serious concerns about the Federal Government’s commitment to fighting corruption, insisting that authorities could not continue to target political opponents while overlooking accusations involving top officials.
“This level of corruption is unprecedented, and the government cannot pretend to be prosecuting opposition figures for corruption while corruption is growing like weed under its own nose,” he added.
The ADC presidential candidate called for the immediate suspension of Gbajabiamila and the launch of an independent investigation to determine the veracity of the allegations.
Drawing comparisons with the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, Atiku noted that former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, was suspended and investigated over allegations of contract irregularities.
“You cannot preach the rule of law when your own officials are awarded the trophy of untouchability,” Atiku stated.
He further alleged that Gbajabiamila was already facing unresolved controversies, including claims of appointment racketeering and the alleged diversion of oil revenues.
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Atiku concluded that the Tinubu administration’s response to the allegations would determine the credibility of its anti-corruption campaign, arguing that recurring scandals had weakened public confidence in the government’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
Neither Gbajabiamila nor the Presidency had officially responded to Atiku’s allegations as of the time of filing this report.
