The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has called on the National Assembly to summon the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Accountant-General of the Federation over conflicting accounts regarding the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) bank accounts.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by Phrank Shaibu, his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Atiku said the differing positions of the CBN and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) had created a credibility crisis for the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
According to him, the CBN’s testimony before the House of Representatives contradicted the earlier position of the OAGF regarding the opening of the PFIPC accounts.
Atiku said the inconsistencies raised concerns about an alleged attempt to conceal the truth surrounding the controversy.
“This is where the cover-up appears to begin. One institution denied authorising the opening of the PFIPC accounts and alleged forgery,” he said.
“Another, before the representatives of the Nigerian people, stated that the accounts were opened on the directive of the Accountant-General after due process was followed. Both accounts cannot be true.”
The former vice-president said the conflicting accounts had left the administration trapped in a “web of deception”.
“When two of your most sensitive financial and monetary authorities publicly contradict each other on the same transaction, no serious leader needs a clairvoyant to know that his administration is trapped in a web of deception and a profound crisis of credibility,” he stated.
“The President cannot continue to watch from the sidelines while his government tears itself apart with conflicting narratives.”
Atiku also challenged President Tinubu to clarify which of the two conflicting accounts he accepted.
“President Tinubu must answer a simple question: Which version does he believe—the Accountant-General’s or the Central Bank’s? If he believes neither, why has he not acted?” he said.
“Every day he delays ordering a truly independent investigation, he deepens public suspicion that preserving his administration’s image has taken precedence over establishing the truth.”
He further said the continued silence of the Attorney-General of the Federation had worsened the controversy.
“The continued silence of the Attorney-General of the Federation, the nation’s chief law officer, only compounds this credibility crisis and reinforces the perception that this administration is more interested in containing the political fallout than uncovering the truth,” he stated.
Atiku urged the National Assembly to invite the CBN governor and the Accountant-General to appear jointly before its investigative committee and testify under oath.
“If a single individual could allegedly orchestrate a scheme that has thrown two of Nigeria’s most critical financial and monetary authorities into public contradiction, Nigerians are entitled to ask how many other abuses may have escaped detection because of weak oversight and institutional failure,” he said.
He also called on President Tinubu to order an independent investigation into the matter.