By Ken Afor
Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President, has written a letter to the Department of State Services (DSS) requesting an investigation to reveal those spreading false allegations against him.
In the letter, Gbajabiamila claimed that the falsehood has been ongoing for months.
According to the letter dated January 9, 2024, and addressed to the Director-General of the SSS, Yusuf Magaji Bichi, as seen by PREMIUM TIMES, other security agencies were reportedly instructed to promptly investigate the matter.
It would be recalled that Mr. Gbajabiamila, a former federal lawmaker and Speaker of the House of Representatives, was appointed Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu a few days after his principal was sworn in May.
In the letter titled: “Request for Investigation of False Allegations and Sustained Campaign of Calumny Against my Person by Unknown Elements,” the Chief of Staff claimed that the campaign of calumny has been ongoing for the past six months.
According to the former lawmaker, those behind this act are taking advantage of social media to spread baseless allegations of corruption, malfeasance, and abuse of office against him. He added that due to the gravity of the campaign, it became necessary to write to the security agency to investigate the matter, aiming to reveal those behind the campaign and compel them to substantiate their claims or face the consequences.
He said, “Over the past six months, unknown individuals or groups have made a sustained effort using social media to spread unfounded allegations of corruption, malfeasance, and abuse of office against my person. This campaign of calumny has gotten progressively more aggressive in tone and content over the last month, thus necessitating this letter.
“I have served in the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the past two decades, first in the legislature, where I rose to the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and now in the executive as Chief of Staff to the President. In that time, my efforts to ensure probity in the management of public resources are well documented. As Speaker of the House of Representatives, I presided over the national budget for all ministries, departments and agencies for four years without blemish.
“While it is my inclination to ignore these attacks as part of the usual mischief of politics, my position as Chief of Staff to the President compels me to act because falsehoods left unchallenged soon take on the toga of truth. Furthermore, the aggressive escalation of these attacks suggests that the perpetrators of these attacks will continue until they are held to account. For these reasons, the stoic silence I have maintained on this matter thus far will no longer suffice.
“I am satisfied that I have not acted in any way to warrant or justify these attacks. Therefore, I am requesting your office to investigate the sources and substance of these false allegations. Rather than hide behind the anonymity of the internet, let my accusers be unmasked to substantiate their claims or face the consequences of their libel against me.”
Details of some of the attacks were attached to the letter to assist security agencies in their investigations.
