Na’Allah: Obasanjo Offered Me N50m Bribe in 2006

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja
Senate Deputy Leader, Senator , on Tuesday dismissed the allegation of corruption levelled against members of the Nationa Assembly by President Olusegun Obasanjo, claiming that he rejected N50 million bribe the former president offered him in 2006.

Na’Allah was reacting to the remark by Obasanjo while fielding questions from State House correspondents in Abuja last Monday that the recent allegation of  budget padding against the leadership of the House of Representatives only confirmed his earlier remark that the National Assembly is a body of corrupt persons.

But Na’Allah said Obasanjo lacked the moral rectitude to make such allegation, alleging that he offered N50million bribe to each of the 469 federal lawmakers in the fifth National Assembly while pursuing a third term agenda.

In a statement, Na’Allah claimed that he rejected the bribe as he described Obasanjo’s accusation as reckless and terrifying, adding that the former president had never caught him in any record of corruption.
The statement read: “My attention has been drawn to a purported statement attributed to Obasanjo in which it was alleged that he made a sweeping statement to the effect that there are no men of integrity in the National Assembly.

“I am respectfully taking exception to the statement which I express the hope is not true.  To start with, it is not in my character to join issues with an elder statement who have had the privilege of superintending over the affairs of our great country Nigeria.

“This exception has become necessary in view of the enormity of the alleged statement to my person and integrity. If President Obasanjo can come out with one proven record of corruption against me as a person, I promised to vacate my seat as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“For the records, I was the only member from Kebbi State who did not find it worthy at that time of collecting the sum of N50 million as an inducement to subvert the constitution and provide a constitutional framework for the third term ambition of President Obasanjo. I find this statement, if it is true, to be reckless and terrifying.

“The implication of the statement is to say that over 170 million Nigerians have not elected a single person with integrity among the 469 members of the National Assembly. This is definitely rhapsodic and does not conform to commonsense and reason.”

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