By Saidu Idris
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s refusal to either confirm or deny reports that it is investigating the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is giving rise to several conjectures and speculations.
Phone calls and messages sent by 365Daily to the spokesperson of the Commission, Wilson Uwujaren, seeking a confirmation of the commission’s alleged request from the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to furnish it with Tinubu’s asset declaration documents were not responded to.
A section of the media had reported the allegations.
Anonymous sources within the commission told 356Daily that there were no official briefings in that regard, suggesting the enquiry from the CCB could be a discreet one.
With a new sheriff, Abdulrasheed Bawa, leading the anti-corruption agency, many believe he would want to announce his arrival by testing his strength on big fishes in the fight against corruption.
Bawa, who was the head of the agency in its Lagos Zonal Office, was confirmed by the Senate last Thursday.
365Daily had reported in November last year that his predecessor, Ibrahim Magu, was seemingly a buffer against previous attempts to investigate the former Lagos State governor, who is said to be his benefactor.
Media reports claimed that the anti-graft agency, in November 2020, allegedly asked the CCB to supply details of Tinubu’s asset documents as part of an ongoing probe in a request dated November 6, 2020, which was a follow-up to previous demands made with respect to the National Leader’s asset filings.
Magu was said to be reluctant to move against Tinubu, who was allegedly instrumental to his appointment. Following his suspension as acting chairman of the EFCC, Tinubu’s company, Alpha Beta and ally, Babatunde Fowler, former Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, came under the agency’ radar.
Some observers see the latest move as a further attempt to further whittle down Tinubu’s political hold as 365Daily reported last November when Fowler was arrested by the EFCC.
Recent developments on the political front have seen the renewed battle of supremacy in the APC between the CPC camp led by the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and the Tinubu camp, with the later opposing the party’s re-registration exercise.
Malami who is largely considered to be behind Magu’s travail and eventual removal and also the emergence of Bawa as the chairman of EFCC, they posit may also have interest in who becomes the next president, a position Tinubu wants to contest for come 2023 presidential election.