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| Aisha Buhari, wife of the President Buhari |
The Wife of
the President, Aisha Buhari on Wednesday demanded a full retraction of a
widely-circulated material distributed by Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose, in
which he claimed to have uncovered how Mrs. Buhari was allegedly mentioned
as having transferred funds to a convicted former U.S. lawmaker, Williams
Jefferson.
Media report continues:
In a warning letter
dispatched through her legal representatives, Mrs. Buhari said Mr.
Fayose’s action was directly responsible for the publication of the “very wild
and unfounded” allegations in the media.
A copy of the letter,
sent to Mr. Fayose via courier on Wednesday, was exclusively made available to
PREMIUM TIMES.
Through the letter,
titled: “Demand for unqualified retraction of the false statement published by
you in various media on the 20th of June, 2016, and subsequent dates regarding
our client, Her Excellency, Mrs. Aisha Buhari the wife of President Muhammadu
Buhari, GCFR,” the president’s wife gave Mr. Fayose five working days to
retract the statement or face legal action.
“Our client has referred
to us statement made by you and published on the 20th of June, 2016 (and other
subsequent days) concerning and pertaining to her person for necessary
action.
“The said statement which
was caused by you and your agents to be widely circulated and published in
various media platforms: print, electronic and online such as PREMIUM TIMES
www.premiumtimesng.com on 20th of June, 2016, contains very wild, unfounded and
false allegations and imputations against the person of our client.
“Specifically, in the
said statement credited to you and signed by your Chief Press Secretary, Idowu
Adelusi, you, inter alia, false stated as follows:
“Even the president
cannot claim to be an angel. The estate he built in Abuja is known to us. His
wife was indicted over the Halliburton Scandal (sic). When that American,
Jeferson, was being sentenced, the President’s wife was mentioned as having
wired US$170,000 to Jefferson. Her name was on page 25 of the sentencing of
Jefferson. We can serialise the judgement for people to see and read,” Ismaila
Alasa and Mary Ekpene, who signed the letter on behalf of the law firm,
said.
“Take notice that unless
you and your agents meet our humble demands within 5 (five) working days of the
receipt of this letter, we shall take all necessary steps within the
contemplation of the law to seek redress for our client.”
Presidential spokesman,
Femi Adesina, could not immediately confirm or deny if Mary Ekpere &
Co. is indeed the solicitors to Mr. Buhari.
Mr. Fayose had on Monday
evening distributed a statement which contained excerpts of court documents
sourced from the United States Department of Justice Website.
In the statement, Mr.
Fayose said Mrs. Buhari was an accomplice in the bribery scandal that landed
Mr. Jefferson in jail, saying he added the link as a proof.
Although an Aisha Buhari
was mentioned in the case files, those who investigated the matter have,
however, said that Aisha Buhari is an impostor and not the wife of Mr.
Buhari.
Two former chairman of
Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, have
come out within the past two days say Mrs. Buhari had no connection with the
Jefferson bribery scandal.
In separate interviews on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, Ibrahim Lamorde, the
immediate past chairman of the EFCC, and Nuhu Ribadu, the pioneer head of the
agency, said they carried out extensive investigation into the case during
their respective tenures and established that the woman named in the scandal
was an impostor of the president’s wife.
Mr. Buhari himself had in the past stated, categorically, that he had no connection with the Aisha Buhari in the Jefferson scandal, who is also said to be based in the United States.
PDP
Chieftain Named In Jefferson Scandal Opens Up
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| Oyewole Fasawe |
PREMIUM TIMES reports
that a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party and a key participant in the Williams
Jefferson bribery scandal, Oyewole Fasawe, has described Governor Ayodele
Fayose’s accusations against President Muhammadu Buhari’s wife, Aisha, as
“fallacious, baseless, misinformed and defamatory”.
In a statement on
Wednesday, Mr. Fasawe said Mrs. Buhari was not connected “in any way” to the
transaction.
Mr. Fasawe is the
Nigerian businessman mentioned in the scandal involving Mr. Jefferson, an
ex-U.S. Congressman.
“We were the ones in
government, and she was never a member of our party or my business associate.
So, how could she have been involved in the first place,” Mr. Fasawe said.
The PDP chieftain said he
had a business venture with Mr. Jefferson – who is now serving a 13-year jail
term in the US – which went awry “based on misplaced trust”.
“I was convinced the
Triple Play Cable Television Network was the future of home entertainment in
Nigeria,” said Mr. Fasawe.
“I invested considerably
in the business – even having to approach my bank for further investments.
“Unfortunately all went
down the drain having been dealing with a fraud and a dupe in the person of
Jefferson who used his office and the image of his nation to convince me iGate
was a reputable Telecommunication Equipment Vendor.”
Mr. Fasawe said he
petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission under then President,
Olusegun Obasanjo, at the time of the incident but no action was taken.
“My monies are still tied
up in the US,” he said.
“It is high time the
Nigerian Government liaised with the government of the United States to help me
repatriate my monies running into tens of millions of dollars.
“The matter is in court
as I speak, with AMCON joined as a party to the suit. This is an opportunity
for President Buhari to look into the matter and bring all connected to book.
Since the matter is in court, I may not be able to say much.”
Mr. Fasawe said the
failed business venture landed him in detention for nearly a year.
“The sad incident caused
me money, time and honour,” he said.
“So it is very upsetting
to have anyone trying to open this old wound and spicing it up with further
controversy.
“I, therefore, advise
Governor Fayose and his handlers to please desist from this unprovoked attack
and unsolicited defamation to the person of Mrs. Aisha Buhari.
“No one should hide behind immunity clause to trample upon the rights and reputation of others with impunity.”
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