Presidency allegedly denies clearing Babachir of corruption allegation
- President Buhari has allegedly denied the claim that he cleared SGF Babachir David Lawal of corruption allegations levelled against him by the Nigerian Senate
- A source in the presidency claims the president is not done with investigating the SGF
The presidency has allegedly refuted the claim that President Muhammadu Buhari has cleared the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir David Lawal.
A source told Daily Trust that Buhari’s letter to the Senate rejecting its recommendation to remove and prosecute the SGF is not an indication of the president’s attitude or ultimate decision on the substantive allegations against Lawal.
The anonymous source allegedly clarified that Buhari, in his letter, explained why he could not accede to the request by the Senate based on the circumstances, clearly leaving open the conclusion of the matter by other means.
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The Nigerian senate accused SGF Babachir of misappropriating fund meant for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP)
The anonymous source stated that Buhari said he could not accede to the recommendation of the Senate on grounds of lack of fair hearing and that the resolution was signed by a minority of the Senate panel and that the panel report itself was an interim report.
According to the source, this does not mean that President Buhari is done with the investigation of the said allegations or that he has condoned such alleged corrupt actions by the SGF.
The source explained: “What this means is that the president wants to be able to handle the matter on his own terms, based purely on proper adherence to extant public service rules and procedures relating to abuse of office by public officers.
“If he is going to discipline his own appointee, he would rather do it properly, not railroaded. No one should be in doubt of the resolve of Mr. President to sustain his long-held reputation for integrity and his zero-level tolerance for corruption. But things must be done properly, and seen to be so. And that is what the president is keen on ensuring.”
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Meanwhile, the Federal Government of Nigeria has denied reports that that governors are set to meet in Abuja today and deliberate on the health of President Muhammadu Buhari.
FG said not only that report is false but also the one that governors were also planning to send representatives to London to see the President.
These were revealed by the minister of information and culture Lai Mohammed while receiving members of the Presidential Initiative Committee on the North-East who visited him in Abuja
Source: Legit.ng
