2023: Tinubu campaign rattled over drugs, certificate charges

By Ori Martins

“I am afraid that, the conclusion of this case is that, from the eye of the law, Bola Tinubu may be disqualified from contesting if the matter goes to court”.

This wass the submission of the spokesperson of the Atiku/PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Mr. Daniel Bwala on a national television recently. Bwala was responding on the controversy surrounding a document recently released by the U.S District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

It was confirmed that the document was riddled with evidence of Tinubu’s alleged involvement in narcotics and money laundering about 30 years.

Investigation into the matter revealed that the case eventually ended in a settlement which ultimately saw the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to forfeit an amount of money said to be over $460,000.

However, the spokesperson for the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo, had argued that the APC standard bearer was never indicted in the matter and so has no case to answer.

Taking it from the point of character and integrity, Bwala, said, “For the Nigerian people, the source of the money is important, but there is still a cloud around drug related offences and drug related activity with somebody who wants to be the number one citizen of the country.

“Recently, there was a massive busting of cocaine in Nigeria. The idea of drugs and narcotics is a terrible case all over the world.

“And if someone has that questionable character and is elected as a president, what it means is that it will embolden people who are into those activities. That is why the person has to come out clean”.

Meanwhile, Tinubu has responded to the drug trending issue against him which was released by the Chicago, USA court on how he was linked to drug dealings and money laundering.

According to the reports monitored by Business Hallmark through news agency, Tinubu was alleged to have been a drug master who prayed for plea bargain and agreed to forfeit his assets to U.S authorities rather than appearing for trials in 1993.

In his submission of Tinubu’s defence, Bayo Onanuga, the media campaign director of the Tinubu’s campaign team, called it “a campaign of calumny”, insisting that the “Muckrakers are back to business”.

He added, “Long after the campaign failed in 2003, it resurfaced weeks to the primary election of APC. The opponents thought it was lethal enough to make APC disqualify Tinubu from the race.

“It failed spectacularly and Tinubu went on to win the primary with a landslide. The muckrakers are back again with the same story, dressed as certified true copy from the US court”.

In other words, Onanuga dismissed the matter as a non issue, arguing that it was an old case dressed in a new robe.
But is it really so?

A public affairs analyst, Obi Kamas, said the matter must be thoroughly investigated. “The matter is a simple one because America operates an open policy on virtually all issues. It is for our civil society groups to push for the matter by demanding for the certified true copy of the case.

“From here the true story will be unraveled and Nigerians will then know whether or not Tinubu is guilty as charged. And if he is guilty, of course, the full weight of the law will be administered on him”.

An APC supporter in Owerri, Imo State, Kel Ajoku, toed the line of Onanuga, dismissing it as a redressed issue.

He said, “ThIs is a matter Tinubu’s opponents have been regurgitating since 2002/3. It came up again during the APC presidential primary election and it didn’t pass the integrity test of the party. The opponents are at it again because the presidential election is along the corner and I assure you, it will fail again”.