Ribadu never investigated Mrs. Jonathan -Presidency

Mrs. Patience Goodluck Jonathan
The Presidency has reacted sharply to the allegation of corruption against the first lady; Mrs. Patience Goodluck Jonathan insisting that she had already been cleared by former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who is also the presidential candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

Ribadu had stated when asked about the allegations that “The case had to do with a lady and a man who lodged huge sums of money in the bank. The EFCC was alerted by the bank and an investigation was carried out. It was found that they legitimately earned the money through contracts executed in the state.”

According to Ribadu, "All the reports in the media were lies. For instance, it was initially reported that N70 million was lodged into the bank. Later, it was reported that the money ran into millions of dollars. Such was the extent of the lies. We never handled a case against Patience Jonathan.”

The ACN presidential Candidate had frowned at the desperation to indict the first lady saying, “I wondered how any reasoning mind could, after such widely publicized clarifications on the matter, still go ahead as if on a vengeance mission to publish falsehoods against an innocent person.”

According to a statement from the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ima Niboro, he said "Our attention has been drawn to a statement in the media today in which the spokesman for the Muhammadu Buhari Campaign organization regrettably sought to cast aspersions on President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

 
Niboro noted that the most embarrassing aspect of the allegation was that it had been widely reported that Ribadu denied ever investigating the First Lady.

According to him, "Mr. Odumakin cannot claim to be unaware that speaking with journalists on September 15, 2010, Mallam Ribadu who is now a presidential candidate himself, said as follows: 'I never handled a case against Patience Jonathan, never; it's a lie. You know it is so sad because in our country this is how we go about maligning people. But today thank God I am not in his government. So, I can open up and talk. If I were to say it earlier people would have thought that I was looking for job from President Goodluck Jonathan. I am not looking for anything. But the truth must be told.”

He said that every Nigerian was aware of the stance of the president on campaigns which is to centre on issues and avoid personal attacks like the mudslinging the opposition had resorted to.

Niboro said: and the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, over a matter that was laid to rest last year.

"Responding to an unfortunate statement from the PDP presidential campaign office which was certainly not authorized by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan who abhors all forms of political mudslinging, Mr. Yinka Odumakin sadly chose to ignore facts that are of common knowledge and invoke falsehood, spurious insinuations and accusations.