Nigeria: Money Laundering - PDP Raises Fresh Issues in Ajimobi Wife's Defence

Ibadan — The ripples generated by the alleged money laundering by the wife of the Oyo State Governor, Mrs. Florence are yet to settle as an opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state said the public is waiting to get the accurate number of times that Mrs. Ajimobi travelled since her husband, Senator Abiola Ajimobi assumed office.

The First Lady in the state had denied that she had travelled 52 times as alleged by the publication.

PDP through its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Lukuman Agboluaje, said in as much as it would not want to join issues with the governor's wife on the money laundering allegations, there were more salient issues which should not be glossed over.

According to the party, it is improper for the governor, who had made much noise about quality free education to now send his daughter abroad for a mere secondary education.

Agboluaje said: "As much as we are not in a position to join issues with Mrs. Ajimobi on the alleged money laundering charges as reported by a local newspaper using an online publication as its source, we are constrained to ask some fundamental questions, especially from her own defence on arrival.

"We are aware of the free education policy of the present administration in the state and our concern is the inability of the state's first couple to allow their kid daughter enjoy the free education being dished out to the populace rather than for the First Lady to incessantly visit her daughter every three weeks in a UK secondary school."

This, the party went further, was more so critical as the First Lady, though, had promised to tell the public the number of times she travelled abroad since her husband's assumption of office 17 months ago, up till now the public was still waiting.

Another thorny issue which the PDP claimed was more curious to learn through the online publication was that the State Agency for the Control of Aids, SACA, was now placed under the office of the First Lady.

Wondering why this could be, Agboluaje said it was an indication that either Mrs. Ajimobi was more qualified than officials of the supervising Ministry of Health or that the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in the state was suffering from dearth of qualified politicians that could be saddled with such sensitive responsibility.

The release further stated that it was a good thing that Governor Ajimobi had sued the offending medium to the law court as the public was very much interested in knowing how the case goes in court.

"This is more so important when it is realised that a major shareholder of the offending publishing house, Independent Communication Ltd, is Senator Bola Tinubu, National leader of the ACN and the godfather of Governor Ajimobi," the release added.