Former President Goodluck
Jonathan has responded to claims by Nigerian Afrobeat singer, Femi Kuti, that
he was invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over
allegations of fraud.
Femi, the eldest son of the late
Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, recently alleged that
Jonathan was a guest of the anti-graft agency after his tenure as the Deputy
Governor of Bayelsa State.
The invitation, according to the
four-time Grammy nominee, bordered on fraud allegations involving Jonathan.
But, reacting to the claim, the Office of the former President described Femi's as false and spurious.
This was contained in a statement
issued by Wealth Ominabo, a media officer in the former president’s
office, on Friday, June 16, 2023.
Ominabo noted that the Afrobeat
singer's comment may have been influenced by some fake information that was
peddled in the past by some unscrupulous politicians, stressing that the
anti-graft agency gave Jonathan a clean bill at the time in question.
The statement read: “We have
just watched a video broadcast by Femi Kuti, where he sought to clarify his
position on the recent removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.
“In the same message, we
noticed that in trying to push his case, Femi needlessly brought former
President Goodluck Jonathan into the fray, by alleging that Dr Jonathan was
invited by EFCC during his time as a deputy governor of Bayelsa State.
“We would have ignored the
false claim, as we had done in the past if it had not come from Mr Kuti, an
internationally acclaimed musician and patriot, who we also hold in high
regard.
“While struggling in the video
to dissociate himself from politicians whom he accused of corruption, Kuti had
said, “Let me remind you that Jonathan was wanted by the EFCC as a Vice
Governor (we guess he meant Deputy Governor) of Bayelsa State.”
“This spurious claim is simply
a lie, fabricated and repeatedly planted in the media by merchants of mischief
for political purposes.
“We have said this before and
we will repeat it: For the avoidance of any doubt, President Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan’s name was never on any EFCC list of corrupt governors or deputy
governors as the case may be. We challenge anybody, including Femi, to prove
otherwise.
“Let us remind Femi and others
that the former Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who was in office at the time
President Jonathan was a deputy governor, did categorically dismiss those
allegations as lies manufactured by political jobbers.
“It is disappointing that a
celebrity of Femi’s stature, whom many respect as a voice of reason and truth,
has suddenly become a purveyor of fake news and misinformation.
“We will admonish Femi and his
likes to freely express their rights to give their opinion on any national
issue without resorting to falsehood and sullying the hard-earned reputation of
individuals.”
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People will just open their gutter-called-mouth to be talking rubbish. Nonsense.
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