Conduct Tribunal: Tinubu Beats Charge Sheet, Freed; ACN Hail Ruling

SAN FRANCISCO, November 30, (THEWILL) – The former Governor of Lagos State and leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Senator Bola Tinubu is a free man after the Code of Conduct Bureau in Abuja dismissed the charges filed against him by the State which alleged that he operated foreign accounts while he served as Governor of Lagos State from 1999 – 2007.

Before striking out the suit for lack of jurisdiction, the tribunal in a ruling delivered by its Chairman, Justice Danladi Yakubu Umar said prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against the politician.

The Code of Conduct Bureau had charged Tinubu for lying under oath and failure to declare the bank accounts domiciled in the United States and the United Kingdom as mandated by law when he served.

Recall that at the last Tribunal session, the former governor had refused to neither enter the dock nor take a plea, while challenging the jurisdiction of the tribunal to entertain the charges.

Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN led Tinubu’s legal team while Dr. Alex Iziyon SAN represented the Code of Conduct Bureau.

Meanwhile the Action Congress of Nigeria, Lagos State Chapter has hailed the judgement of the tribunal.

The party in a statement after the ruling applauded the tribunal for dismissing the charges brought up against Tinubu. The party added that “by that ruling, the tribunal has demonstrated that justice is still obtainable even in an atmosphere of petty politics and funny contrivances.”

In the statement signed by the Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the ACN, Joe Igbokwe, the party said, “The court ruling was a vindication of its National Leader whose fault is that he is seen as a threat to PDP’s desire to hold the country hostage till eternity. The party said that the ACN will remain undaunted in its mission to end the bad rule of the PDP despite the scheming of the party.

“We are gladdened that the Code of Conduct Tribunal has dispensed justice without fear or favour in this frivolous case, meant to slow down the desire to do away with the misrule of the PDP. We see this as a reinvigoration of that desire and state that nothing will stop our great party from its determination to replace the PDP, which has led the rapid degradation of governance in a well endowed country as Nigeria.

“By dismissing this frivolous case, nurtured and cooked in the chambers of vindictive and petty politics, the Code of Conduct Tribunal has shown a desire not to be employed as a hatchet to prosecute the selfish partisan battles of the PDP, we are happy that the tribunal is showing that signal at a crucial stage of our national life when the nation longs for a fresh air from 13 years of unmitigated misrule. We salute the courage of the members of the tribunal and we state that by this ruling, the tribunal has shown the way on an impartial approach to issues.

“We congratulate the National Leader of our great party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his latest victory, which is just one out of the strings of victories that he has recorded against those that hold Nigeria by the jugular. We salute his raw courage and audacity to lead the time honoured quest to rescue Nigeria from the hands of rapacious political predators that want to keep Nigeria hostage till eternity. We want him to see this as just the beginning of the battle for the soul of Nigeria, as we pledge our unalloyed support to him.”