A former Lagos State governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has spoken out on a news report that he is plotting alongside the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission, to ‘destroy’ the Senate.
In March, the former governor debunked a report by the newspaper that he was planning to run for president, describing it
as a “manufactured tale” carried by a medium “masquerading as professional journalism.”
A ThisDay newspaper report on Wednesday, accused the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Ahmed
Bola Tinubu, of conspiring with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to attack and destroy the Nigerian Senate.
According to Premium Times, the latest story, titled: “PDP Caucus Accuses Tinubu, EFCC of Conspiracy to Destroy Senate” said
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus of the Senate at its meeting last week accused
Tinubu of working with the EFCC to destroy the Senate by attacking the integrity of its members.
The story, which was said to have come from an unnamed source at the meeting, alleged that Bola Tinubu was acting in concert with the anti-graft agency to destroy key elements in the National
Assembly in order to clear the way for his 2019 presidential ambition.
“Constant bashing and campaign of calumny launched against the Senate by a prominent national daily and a frontline television
station, believed to be owned by the former governor, is an example of the on-going
underground war being waged against the Senate as an institution,” the source
allegedly told the newspaper.
In a swift reaction to the heineous
allegation, the former Lagos State governor, denied the alleged news report that he is plotting to “destroy” the Senate, describing
it as an “outright falsehood” and a “bald assault against truth.”
In a statement, signed by Tinubu’s
spokesperson, Tunde Rahman, the APC leader said those behind the report were “practitioners of political libel,” and slammed
the newspaper for publishing what it described as “a rotten lie”.
“The story is such an outright fabrication that it claims the PDP Senators held a special
meeting to discuss Asiwaju Tinubu.
However, PDP Senators claim no such meeting was ever held and that they hold no special animus toward Asiwaju Tinubu,” the
statement read.
It added that as a former senator himself, Tinubu would not never work to tarnish the reputation of the senate.
“We are usually not in the position of agreement with PDP members. But on this
rare occasion, we have no contention with them. Asiwaju Tinubu is a former Senator.
He has a special affection for the Senate as an institution. It is not within him to belittle the institution or members of that
institution who happen to be in the opposing political party.”
The statement said character and personal attacks are not in consonance with Tinubu’s
political ideology. “The gutter is no place to build a better nation. We seek higher ground,” the statement said.
