- Safiu Kehinde
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has denied meeting between opposition governors, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other officials as alleged by Paul Ibe, the spokesperson of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Ibe had, in a recent interview, alleged that the EFCC Chairman, the Solicitor General of the Federation, and Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Justice, met a former and incumbent governor of a South-South state two days to their defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The AGF, in reaction in a statement issued on Friday by his spokesperson, Kamarudeen Ogundele, described the allegation as a lie from the pit of hell.
Fagbemi labelled the allegation as an attempt to discredit the President Bola Tinubu-led administration as he urged the public to disregard it.
The statement read; “The attention of the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice has been drawn to an interview granted on a national TV station by the spokesperson of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Mr Paul Ibe, where he made some contemptuous remarks.
“Mr Ibe had insinuated that the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Solicitor General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Justice, met a former and incumbent governor of a South-South state 48 hours to their defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Although he failed to mention their names, the discerning members of the public know those he could have been referring to.
“However, we wish to state categorically that the allegation is from the pit of hell, and at best, a figment of imagination of Mr Ibe.
“We know as a fact that the EFCC chairman and the Solicitor General of the Federation never met any serving or former governor as alleged by him.”
“It was a feeble attempt to discredit President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led administration’s fight against corruption.”