The campaign organisation of the All Progressives Congress candidate for the position of Speaker of the Ninth House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has denied perjury allegations against him.
The Coalition of United Political Parties had on Tuesday accused Gbajabiamila of allegedly lying on oath when he claimed that he had never been convicted in one of the documents used by the Independent National Electoral Commission to clear him for elective office.
The group through its spokesperson, Ugo Chinyere, had at a news conference in Abuja, presented some legal documents to establish its claims of perjury and criminal allegations against Gbajabiamila.
The CUPP also claimed that it had instituted legal proceedings against Gbajabiamila at a Grade 1 Area Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Karshi and that it had also obtained summons on the lawmaker demanding his appearance in court on June 10.
But the Director-General of the Femi Gbajabiamila/Ahmed Wase Campaign Organisation, Abdul Mumin Jibrin, at a news briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, denied the CUPP claims.
Jibrin insisted that Gbajabiamila had not been served any court document hence he would be on the floor of the green chamber to participate in the election on June 11 despite the campaign of calumny against him.
He also said the group had petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, over the CUPP allegations and that the police chief had been urged to go after the leadership of the coalition with a view to investigating the source of their information and identifying their collaborators in the federal parliament.
He added that Gbajabiamila had instructed his legal team to sue the CUPP leadership for defamation of character.
Jibrin’s speech was titled, ‘Campaign of calumny against Femi Gbajabiamila: enough is enough!’
He said, “In the last few weeks, the media has been awash with once again, what has become a reoccurring fabrication of false accusations and outright lies against the person of the Majority Leader, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.
“The latest was a live press conference addressed yesterday (Tuesday) by someone claiming to be speaking on behalf of the Coalition of United Political Party. But for the publicity the press conference attracted, we would have simply ignored the baseless and unfounded allegations.
“For the benefit of doubt, we wish to once again state emphatically clear that Femi Gbajabiamila has never been convicted for any crime in the United States of America, Nigeria or any other country around the world for that matter.
“He has never been accused of corruption and has no corruption case hanging on his neck in Nigeria or anywhere around the world. He has not committed perjury and has never committed perjury in Nigeria or any country of the world.
“He was eligible to contest in all previous elections he won and indeed eligible and qualified to contest for the office of Speaker House of Representatives in the Ninth National Assembly.”
Jibrin noted that Gbajabiamila had comprehensively responded to all the allegations, provided clarifications and set the records straight.
He explained that the allegations had also been tested and struck out in the nation’s court of law while the State Bar of Georgia had also written and categorically cleared the matter.
He said the State Bar of Georgia had in its letter vindicating the Speakership aspirant had clarified that, “there is no criminal conviction in the matter relating to Femi Gbajabiamila and that he is currently an active member in good standing of the State Bar of Georgia.”
On the CUPP claims of criminal proceedings against Gbajabiamila at an FCT Court, Jibrin said his principal had neither been served any summons by any court nor notified by the clerk of the National Assembly.
He also said the campaign organisation was not worried that those behind the antics were trying to drag the judiciary and the judges “to what is clearly a hatchet job,” adding that the judiciary must not allow itself to be mixed in such cocktail of dirt.
He said, “This campaign of calumny is orchestrated to poison the minds of our leaders against Femi Gbajabiamila which has failed woefully. Now the agenda is to smear his reputation through the “creation of illusion of truth.
“Femi Gbajabiamila in his usual manner has maintained a dignified silence knowing that truth is constant.
“Whatever they choose to do, Femi Gbajabiamila and Ahmed Idris Wase will be on the floor on the 11th live and direct to be elected Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively to take over from Yakubu Dogara who ceases to be Speaker from tomorrow, Thursday, June 6, (today) after our valedictory session.”
Jibrin faulted the CUPP calls for a secret ballot method to elect the presiding officers of the Ninth National Assembly, stressing, however, that Gbajabiamila would win, notwithstanding the method adopted.
Meanwhile, CUPP has asked Gbajabiamila to respond to the allegations levelled against him personally, instead of doing so through proxy.
The coalition’s spokesman, Imo Ugochinyere, said Jibrin failed to address any of the allegations the coalition earlier raised against Gbajabiamila.
He said, “We ask Femi Gbajabiamila to address the media and Nigerians himself and state what happened between him and Ms Hadyatou Barry, her $25,000 insurance claims and the trial in the Supreme Court of the State of Georgia.”
The CUPP spokesman said Gbajabiamila’s aspiration to lead the House of Representatives could be likened to a sinking ship which could not be salvaged.
He said contrary to Jibrin’s claim, the Majority Leader had been served criminal summons of court through the Clerk of the National Assembly.
