…By Dorcas Funmi for TDPel Media. In a significant development, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the Majority Leader of the Senate, has acknowledged that the $460,000 forfeited by President Bola Tinubu to the United States was derived from a narcotics business and money laundering.
Bamidele made this admission while serving as the first witness for Tinubu during the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) proceedings, initiated by Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party (LP).
During cross-examination by Obi’s legal team, Bamidele confirmed that Tinubu had indeed forfeited more than $460,000 in illicit drug proceeds.
The case dates back to the 1990s when Tinubu resided in Chicago.
Despite being in the public spotlight in the lead-up to the presidential election on February 25, the President had refrained from addressing the forfeiture for several years.
Under questioning by Livy Uzoukwu, Obi’s lead counsel, Bamidele acknowledged his knowledge of the narcotics connection to Tinubu’s forfeiture.
He further admitted to understanding that money laundering was involved in Tinubu’s case prior to the final forfeiture.
Bamidele’s testimony stands as one of the most prominent confirmations by a close associate of Tinubu regarding the forfeiture and the former Lagos governor’s narcotics background.
During the proceedings, Tinubu submitted 18 documents to the tribunal in defense of the lawsuit challenging the election outcome. These documents included a letter from former Inspector General of Police, Tarfa Balogun, to the US Embassy in Nigeria, dated February 3, 2003, as well as a letter from the US Embassy dated February 4, 2003.
Additionally, Tinubu presented a bundle of his educational records from Chicago State University, certified by Jamar C. Orr, Associate General Counsel, Office of Legal Affairs, Chicago State University.
Other documents included data pages of Tinubu’s international passport, showing his travels to the US from 2011 to 2023.
There were also documents related to the Labour Party (LP), such as a forwarding letter for the submission of membership registration dated April 25, 2022, and the LP’s register of members for Anambra State.
Tinubu further submitted a copy of form EC8D for Kano State, pertaining to the presidential election on February 25, 2023.
The documents also encompassed various legal records and newspaper reports.
The presentation of these documents by Tinubu aimed to bolster his defense against the lawsuit challenging the election results.
However, the admission by Senator Bamidele regarding the narcotics and money laundering aspects connected to Tinubu’s past casts a shadow over the proceedings and raises questions about the President’s credibility in the eyes of the public and the tribunal.
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