President Muhammadu Buhari has denied reports which claimed he had earlier declared that former Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, was not guilty of the corruption allegations leveled against him.
Speaking through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, Buhari stated this on Monday during his appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
He said: “You didn’t get it right; the President had no time said anybody was not guilty. What the President said then was that he was not given the right to defend himself”.
Contrary to the claims, Adesina said President Buhari was not pleased with the process adopted by the legislature for the accusation of Lawal even as he was not defending the former SGF.
“He (Buhari) said the procedure adopted for the indictment that came from the National Assembly was not proper. The President did not give him a clean bill of health, he only faulted the procedure,” Adesina insisted.
The presidential spokesman said the decision to sack Lawal was a proof that the President was careful in making decisions, adding that nobody could pressure him.
He added that the relevant agencies that had begun investigations into the allegations which led to the sack of the former SGF and NIA boss would be allowed to continue with their work without any interference.
“Anybody that knows this President will know that he’s a man that takes his time but when he makes up his mind, he makes it up real good. Who can pressure the President? All I’ll just say is that the President, once again, has shown himself to be a painstaking and a thorough person.
“The Presidency does not interfere in the works of the works of the security agencies, they know what they should do at any given time. So, the onus is on them to do the next thing,” he said.
