The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) have called on President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima to publicly declare their assets as a demonstration of their determination to lead by example.
Speaking in a telephone conversation with The PUNCH on Sunday, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said it was not enough for the President and the VP to fill out asset declaration forms and return same to the Code of Conduct Bureau just to fulfill the requirements of the law.
He urged both men to show the world that, indeed, they are different by following the path of former President Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua in declaring their financial and material worth before Nigerians publicly.
He said, “They should follow the path of the late President Umaru Yar’ Adua to demonstrate to Nigerians their readiness for transparent and accountable leadership. There are provisions in our laws covering asset declarations by public officers; it is a statutory requirement. Recall that Umaru Yar’Adua, a president elected on the platform of the PDP, declared his assets publicly. Those are the kind of leadership traits expected at that level.”
But a former Minister of State for Labour and Employment and spokesman for the dissolved APC Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo, rejected the agitation for Tinubu to declare his assets publicly.
Keyamo said, “Public declaration of assets is not a legal requirement. The public deserves to know this. It is just a matter of choice. If anyone thinks it is a moral obligation, he can do it. But that is left to individuals.’’
When asked if Labour Party would want Tinubu to make his declared assets public, the National Chairman of LP, Julius Abure, said, “Let’s give him some time to declare his assets. That’s my opinion. But the law says he should declare his assets. For me, I think he should do it publicly.
“He is already a wealthy man with all his acquisition after serving as a senator and a two-term governor. Are you even sure he will remember all his assets?”
