Not Again: Plot To Force VP Yemi Osinbajo Out Thickens

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo

Power brokers in the presidency are not relenting in their bid to oust Vice President Yemi Osinbajo from office, Daily Independent has gathered exclusively.

Despite several attempts at forcing him to resign from office, Osinbajo has remained unruffled – a disposition a correspondent gathered has continued to infuriate members of the purported cabal in the presidency who are reportedly determined to get him out at all cost.

Speaking with Daily Independent on Tuesday, a credible source in the presidency said members of the cabal are still hell-bent on having Osinbajo resigning or be impeached over election funds connected to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

He added that more developments relating to Osinbajo and his powerful detractors will continue to unfold between now and January 2020.

Timi Frank, a former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate claims that Osinbajo allegedly got N90 billion from Mr. Tunde Fowler, the FIRS boss, to prosecute the 2019 presidential election.

Osinbajo had denied the allegation and even offered to waive his immunity so he could be investigated on the matter.

“The cabal is not relenting. They want Osinbajo out at all cost. They are pushing him to either resign or be impeached and tried on the said FIRS-related fund.

“Their belief is that Timi Frank may be wrong on the actual figures he mentioned, but he is right that the vice president’s office actually got money from FIRS for the 2019 presidential election.

“That was one of the reasons why Fowler was queried by the presidency through the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari.”

“Feelers we are getting have it that from now till January next year will be very interesting in the presidency,” he said.

Trouble began for Osinbajo shortly after President Muhammadu Buhari constituted his cabinet for second term. This saw the National Social Investment Programme, which was under Osinbajo’s watch, moved to a new ministry.

The innovative social intervention programme, for which government earmarked N500 billion in annual budgetary appropriations, had been under the office of the vice president since its launch in 2016. Maryam Uwais, a special adviser in the presidency, supervises the programme.

The president further emasculated the vice president when he announced the creation of the Economic Advisory Council, to replace the Economic Management Team (EMT) then headed by the vice president.

Events took a worse turn when 35 aides working in the vice president’s office were sacked during President Buhari’s recent vacation abroad.

Though the report was at first denied by the presidency, it was later confirmed in a statement by Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity.

The development was further confirmed by President Buhari himself who said the aides were not sacked but were only redeployed to a new ministry.

However, those affected have confirmed to Daily Independent that they were actually sacked despite the directive from the president that they be redeployed to other ministries.

One of Osinbajo’s aides who was affected by the sack said he has yet to hear anything about the presidential recall requiring him to return to his duties.

According to the aide who is based in Lagos, although the vice president has discussed the matter with the president, who said he knew nothing about the sack, no serious action has been taken by the president to reverse the decision.

“I haven’t heard anything since. I am back to Lagos waiting to hear from them. I understand the vice president has discussed the matter with President Buhari who said he knew nothing about our sack, because he only approved our redeployment to the ministries. However, till now, he has not taken any action to reverse it,” he said.

Source: Daily Independent