The Media Adviser to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe, has challenged President Bola Tinubu and his administration to respond to a serious allegation of unconstitutional withdrawals from the Federation Account.
Ibe’s reaction follows a claim by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who recently alleged that the federal government has been withdrawing ₦100 billion every month from the Federation Account without legislative approval.
El-Rufai made the allegation during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time, where he argued that the withdrawals were carried out without the consent of the National Assembly or the state Houses of Assembly. According to him, the action violates constitutional provisions governing public finance.
The former governor further stated that the alleged deductions have been ongoing for more than 15 months, amounting to about ₦1.5 trillion, and insisted that such an act “deserves nothing but impeachment.”
Despite the gravity of the accusation, the presidency has yet to issue an official response.
Reacting on Friday via a post on his 𝕏 (formerly Twitter) handle, Ibe described the alleged withdrawals as unconstitutional and questioned the continued silence of President Tinubu and his administration.
He wrote:
“When is President Bola Tinubu @officialABAT and his administration going to respond to the allegation by @elrufai, former Kaduna State Governor and chieftain of the @ADCNig that Tinubu caused the withdrawal of N100 billion monthly from the Federation Account without appropriation of the NASS and State Assemblies?”
Ibe added that the alleged action, if proven, constitutes a serious breach of the law.
“By the way, the action is unconstitutional and amounts to an impeachable offence,” he said.
He also took a swipe at the president’s absence from the country, suggesting that the response may be delayed.
“Or we may have to wait until his return from Turkey, which date we cannot even hazard a guess?” Ibe added.
As of the time of filing this report, the presidency had not reacted to the claims raised by El-Rufai or the questions posed by Atiku’s media adviser.
