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Nigerian ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC) has admitted that its candidate and ‘President-elect’, Bola Tinubu, forfeited the sum of $460,000 to the United States government in 1993 following a drug trafficking allegation.
This was stated in a court document filed by the party before the presidential electoral tribunal in response to a petition filed by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, who is seeking the annulment of Tinubu’s victory in the February 25.
in 2008, which was filed on July 26, 1993, before the Hon. Judge Nordberg of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the United States Government urged the Court to order the forfeiture of funds in accounts Nos. 263226700 held by First Heritage Bank in the name of Bola Tinubu, funds in accounts 39483134, 39483396, 4650279566, 00400220, 39936404 and 39936383 held by Citibank N.A in the name of Bola Tinubu and funds in accounts 52050-89451952,52050-89451952, 52050-89451953 held by Citibank in the name of Bola Tinubu because there was probable cause to believe that the funds in Tinubu’s bank accounts represented proceeds of narcotics trafficking or were monies involved in financial transactions in violations of 18 U.S.C, sections 1956 and 1957 and therefore, was forfeitable to the U.S. Government.
As a result, Obi based one of his grounds for overturning Tinubu’s victory on the drug trafficking case.
He claimed Tinubu’s forfeiture of funds to the US government over drug trafficking allegations shows the former Lagos State governor committed infractions that should disqualify him from running for office in Nigeria.
However, in court documents filed to defend its candidate, the APC claimed Tinubu simply surrendered funds in ten bank accounts opened in his or Compass Finance and Investment Co.’s name.
Peoplesmind
