*Says her Stolen Passport is being Used to Twist Narrative
A Nigerian-American, who shares the same name with the wife of the President of Nigeria, Ms. Aisha Buhari, has distanced herself
from the identity confusion stoked by former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde.
Ms. Buhari told the Street Journal that she had never transacted any business with Halliburton and that she would not be able to place the company’s logo if asked. She said that she was surprised that the copy of the photograph circulated by Ibrahim Lamorde was from a page of her passport that was stolen in early January.
The disclosure that the picture came from a stolen passport has gradually given the developing story a tinge of interesting and curious melodrama.
Those familiar with the tactics and strategy of Buhari suspect that Lamorde who led EFCC until he was recently removed and replaced may have cut a deal to speak for the administration in order to have charges of corruption running into several billions filed against him dropped. Lamorde was accused of diverting proceeds of loot recovery efforts for personal use.
Another disturbing angle to the story is the striking semblance to the failed commissioned effort to create and ship second republic Minister of Transportation, Dr. Umar Dikko, by agents of Buhari, then a Major General and military dictator in Nigeria, by Nigerian secret agents and Israeli secret service operatives. In this case, it is believed that Lamorde may have offered his soul for the dirty job of destroying credible opposition by accepting to lead the campaign to tackle Governor Ayodele Fayose who had accused Buhari of moral hypocrisy, executive reckless use of EFCC and political intolerance challenging the administration to stop selective justice and asking questions on why the wife of President Buhari had not faced trial having been indicted on the allegation of acting as a conduit for the payment of bribe in a deal for telecommunications technology transfer.
Ms. Aisha Buhari admitted that she shares the same name with the wife of President Buhari, but rejected any attempt at being linked with the Halliburton scam.
The late Dr. Umar Dikko whom Buhari’s agent tried to create and ship to Nigeria in 1984 had told the Publisher of Sharpedgenews.com that he did not do anything to warrant such inhuman and indecent treatment from Buhari, other than the fact that he knew before anyone else that Buhari was plotting a coup to unseat the duly elected government of Mr. Shehu Shagari in 1983. Dikko said that he fled Nigeria and blew the whistle on what Buhari was planning.
He said that apart from the infamous failed attempt to ship him into Nigeria, dead or alive, the Buhari Junta also launched a campaign of calumny against him saying he made away with four billion naira.
Could the present allegation of stealing an innocent citizen’s passport, denying the involvement of Mrs. Aisha M. Buhari in the Halliburton, an extreme conspiracy to target and destroy key opposition politicians? If such fears are indeed real, then it would be the worst type of corruption that ends the so called Buhari War on Corruption. Indeed, it would be comparable to Richard Nixon’s Water Gate Scandal: the infamy of burgling and stealing valuable documents from Democratic Party in the United States in the early 1970s
Ms. Aisha Buhari told her interviewer on Tuesday that she has started talking to her lawyers saying she would not stand bye while her name, reputation and the good works she has always done is tarnished or destroyed by Nigerian officials.
Buhari gets easy pass with the Nigerian media. His critics believe that America and Britain also help him to get away with serious breaches. There is no short roll call in the stature and status of prominent individuals throwing gibes and punches at Governor Ayodele Fayose for the audacity to demand a level playing field in the war on corruption in Nigeria: Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Senator Buruji Kashamu and Otunba Oyewole Johnson Fashawe, all have cautioned Fayose.
According to Ms. Aisha Buhari, some persons in government in Nigeria forged her passport.
Ex EFCC boss, Ibrahim Lamorde had said the president’s wife was not the Aisha Buhari named in the scandal.
He also circulated a passport of this Aisha Buhari .
.Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose had claimed on Monday that the wife of the President was linked to the scandal.
Ms Buhari, speaking exclusively with The Street Journal Tuesday night, said she was never involved in the scandal and linking her name with it was most malicious and wicked.
According to Ms Buhari, the allegation “is like pouring water on a sleeping person. I have never done anything with Halliburton, I don’t know the colour of the company. I am not in the line of business with Halliburton, so linking me with the bribery is wicked”, she fumed.
Speaking further, Ms Buhari said the details contained in the write up, which were displayed side by side with the story were cloned from her stolen passport.
“They are desperate to cover their dirty track and link my name with the scandal that they have to first of all steal my passport. My passport was stolen early this year. And to give credibility to their story, details from the passport were used. They should come to the US, to find out If they are curious about the case”, she said.
She reminded her detractors that once a crime is committed in the US such a person is brought to book, noting that she is a member of organisations in the US and she goes in and out of the States at will.
“If somebody commits crime in the US, he or she must face trial. Have you heard I am being tried in the US?”, she queried.
She continued:” Let them stop this malicious allegation against me that they do not have proof of, I hate people who do not cross check facts before talking, they should find out in the US the kind of person I am because I belong to organisations there”, she said.
“If they think they are politician and can break the law and go free, they should realise that nobody is above the laws of a country including me”, she asserted.
On whether she is going to take legal action, she said: “I am talking with my Lawyers, they will determine that”, she summed.
By sharpedgenews.com, USA
Additional report by The Street Journal.