The Aisha Buhari named in the bribery scandal involving a U.S. Congressman, Williams Jefferson, is not the Aisha that is President Muhammadu Buhari’s wife, a former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Lamorde, has told PREMIUM TIMES.
“I can tell you authoritatively that the Aisha Buhari named in that case is not President Buhari’s wife,” Mr. Lamorde said when contacted Tuesday morning. “It is another Aisha Buhari entirely.
“I was the director of operations at the EFCC at the time so I know about the case very well. I can tell you that it is not her (President Buhari’s wife). That much we established.”
Mr. Lamorde, who was EFCC chairman until he was removed in December 2015 by President Buhari, is currently on course at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS).
PREMIUM TIMES contacted him for clarification following the claim by Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, on Monday, that the Aisha Buhari mentioned in court documents to have transferred $170,000 to the convicted American politician is President Buhari’s wife.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, Mr. Fayose had accused President Buhari of being corrupt.
“Even the President cannot claim to be an angel,” the governor said, in reaction to the freezing of his Zenith Bank account by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
“The estate he built in Abuja is known to us. His wife was indicted over the Halliburton Scandal (sic). When that American, Jefferson, was being sentenced, the President’s wife was mentioned as having wired $170,000 to Jefferson. Her name was on page 25 of the sentencing of Jefferson. We can serialize the judgment for people to see and read.”
