Afenifere leader, Adebanjo, replies Akande, challenges him, Tinubu to face EFCC

Chief Ayo Adebanjo, the Afenifere leader has slammed the former Interim Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chief Bisi Akande, over allegations in his book ‘My Participations’ that he pestered Bola Tinubu to build a house for him in Lekki area of Lagos.

Disproving Akande’s claim, Pa Adebanjo in a statement on Thursday narrated how he built his house located at Plot 25, Ayo Adebanjo Close, Off Adebayo Doherty Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos State.

While inviting the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe his narration on how he built his house, Adebanjo also challenged the former Osun State Governor, and Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State to also open up to the EFCC on how they acquired their wealth.

The Afenifere leader said that he obtained a loan from a bank and sold some of his landed properties in order to build his Lekki home.

He also said one of the lands sold were given to him by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo while clarifying that Tinubu did not finance the project.

An excerpt from the statement read, “But since Bola Tinubu himself was present at the presentation, I expect him within a few days to refute such a malicious falsehood about me emanating from his Man Friday.

“I hold this view because Bola Tinubu just some 3 years ago on the occasion of the presentation of my autobiography ‘SAYING IT AS IT IS’ that for my incorruptibility and strength of character, he Bola Tinubu would not have been Governor of Lagos State in 1999. What then could he be demanding from me after his two-term governorship to make me pressurize him to build a house for me when I did not get a naira from him before he became the governor?

“There has been a lot of pressure on me not to react to Chief Bisi Akande’s tantrums, he is a neophyte, a beneficiary of a struggle he never took part in. I have been urged to keep to the adage not to ‘Answer a fool less you reduce yourself to his level’, but there is also an adage that says, ‘Answer a fool less he thinks he is wise’. A lot has been said in the press and the social media to demolish tantrums.

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“But I owe a duty to myself and to put the record straight for posterity about the big lie that Bola Tinubu built my house in Lekki for me. I, therefore, deny categorically that my house at Lekki was built with my resources through the sale of 3 developed properties, loan from GTBank and the sale of undeveloped landed property given me by my late leader Chief Obafemi Awolowo of blessed memory.

“I was compelled to sell the undeveloped land given to me by Chief Awolowo in Dide-Olu Estate in Maroko Victoria Island. One Mr. Ade Otusanya a friend of my son Femi Ayo-Adebanjo bought the land. The contractor who built my Lekki house is Engr. Hakeem Sulaiman, Senior Partner of Messrs HA associates. The Electrical and Mechanical Contractor is Engr. Tokunbo Oshokoya, Senior Partner of Messrs Oshea Projects. The Architect is Mr. Deji JohnsonThe Quantity Surveyor is the late Otunba T.B. Adebayo.

“The Lekki property, the house in my village, Isanya Ogbo, and three Bedroom flat in a townhouse, at Omorinre Street in Lekki are the properties I have in the whole world.”
The 93-year-old Afenifere leader, while inviting the EFCC to verify his claims, also called on the anti-graft body to probe the sources of wealth of Tinubu and Akande.

“I hereby authorize the EFCC to verify the above facts.

“It is alleged that Chief Bisi Akande’s building at Ila-Orogun, which I understand is more than double in expanse of my house in Lekki and some other properties he has in Lagos and abroad were financed by Bola Tinubu. His house in Ibadan was also alleged to have been built by the contractor that built the secretariat in Osogbo, when he was the Governor of Osun State.

“I hereby challenge Chief Bisi Akande to clear the air by disclosing the source of financing these properties as I have done above.

“Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the great philanthropist should also disclose the source of his wealth with which he bankrolled the elections of APC in the Southwest and that of General Muhammad Buhari and his various properties in Lagos. He should also authorize the EFCC to verify such details as I have done above.”

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