Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on President Bola Tinubu to suspend his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and order an independent investigation into bribery allegations levelled against him, warning that indifference on the matter is not an option.
The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) was reacting to allegations by the the Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who accused Gbajabiamila of soliciting a N400 million bribe.
Atiku noted that Gbajabiamila’s response, in which he claimed the agency in question does not exist, has only deepened questions around the Chief of Staff’s credibility.
He asked how N27.4 billion could be allocated in the budget to an agency that allegedly does not exist without raising serious concerns.
Atiku argued that the discrepancy casts doubt on the credibility of the entire 2026 national budget and insisted the matter cannot be dismissed through what he called weak and unconvincing explanations from the Presidency.
He said the scale of the alleged fraud, running into billions of naira, demands more than a denial, and reiterated his call for Gbajabiamila’s suspension pending a full and independent inquiry.
In a statement signed by his media office on Monday, the former Vice President genuine accountability cannot coexist with shielding allies, and urged Tinubu to hold his Chief of Staff to the same standard expected of other public officials.
He maintained that the rule of law must prevail in the matter, and challenged the President to demonstrate, through concrete action, his administration’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
