A coalition of Northern group, Ethnic Group Assembly (NEYGA), has alleged a plot to smear Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, in the ongoing investigation of axed Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Beta Edu over alleged financial sleaze in her former Ministry.
Dr Edu who had since been suspended is being interrogated by the anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC).
A leaked Memo dated December 18, 2023, from the Office of Chief of Staff to the President revealed that President Bola Tinubu had approved N3 billion from the COVID-19 Palliative Fund for verification of the National Social Register.
Reacting to the Memo which has courted outrage in social media, spokesperson of the coalition, Mr Ibrahim Dan-Musa, in a statement said the motive of those who leaked the Memo was to indict the Chief of Staff to the President in the eyes of the public and ultimately, push for his sack by his principal, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Dan-Musa however maintained that the plot against the former Speaker of the House of Representatives has since failed.
The statement read in part: “To say Gbaja is an authority in law and a professor in government procedures is not an overstatement.
“It is clear some people are still seeking the downfall of one of the best brains in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, but they have failed.
“Someone who managed 360 elected representatives of the Federal House of Representatives for a solid four years without a blemish will not fall for a peanut. Detractors do not understand the quality and value of Femi Gbajabiamila.
“The Chief of Staff has crossed the bridge before it collapsed, so what they are pursuing is emptiness the second day after the Market day!
“We, the concerned citizens for good governance, will soon expose all of you behind the evils you planned.
“It is now an open secret that you want the government of President Bola Tinubu to fail by trying to pull down the pillars of support behind him.
“Whether you are a Christian or Muslim, whatever you sow, you shall reap. We will go after all of you and expose you to the world.
“The current Chief of Staff has not faced twenty percent of the attacks one of his predecessors, Abba Kyari, got over wrong allegations. President Tinubu’s verdict on his Chief of Staff’s integrity is known to the public.”