Tajudeen Abbas, the speaker of the House of Representatives, has urged the security agencies to commence an investigation on the corruption allegation levelled against Femi Gbajabiamila, the chief of staff to the president
According to the Punch, Abbas made the call on Thursday, February 8, during a press conference on the state of the country.
Gbajabiamila, who was the immediate past speaker of the house, has been accused of corruption that involved the suspended minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation, Betta Edu,
Speaking on the allegation, Abbas called on Nigerians to desist from spreading fake news and make constructive criticism so that government officials can be properly made accountable.
The lawmaker posited that the allegation against the president’s chief of staff can undermine the democracy of the country.
Abbas said defamation on social media could endanger the reputation of an individual or an organisation, adding that they are targeted at political opponents.
The speaking then said: “The recent unjustified and baseless allegations against the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, point to the danger of an unfettered and unaccountable social media. Such acts not only undermine the integrity of our democracy but also erode the fabric of our national unity.”
Abbas said Gbajabiamila was just one out of millions of Nigerians facing cyberbullying and daily coordinated defamation.
He stressed that many of the victims did not have the privilege enjoyed by the former speaker.
Meanwhile, Gbajabiamila has asked the Department of Security Services (SSS) to probe the false allegations and sustained campaign of calumny” against him.
In the letter dated January 9, 2023, addressed to the Director General of the DSS, Yusuf Magaji Bichi, Gbajabiamila lamented a sustained regime of smear campaigns against him.
He, therefore, requested the security agency to investigate and fish out those spreading falsehoods agaisnt him.
According to Premium Times, the letter was titled “Request for Investigation of False Allegations and Sustained Campaign of Calumny Against my Person by Unknown Elements.”
The Chief of Staff to the president, therefore, requested “prompt intervention” of security agencies in the matter.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu had at a Federal Executive Council on October 30, 2023, stated that he was aware of the campaign of calumny launched at Gbajabiamila and even passed a vote of confidence on him.
The President said, “I have absolute confidence in my Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila. So, all campaign of calumny, the buck stops here! If I make mistakes, I’ll own up to them.”