The Young Progressive Party (YPP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to suspend the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo due to his alleged connection to the scandalous contract at the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
The party warned that failure to suspend the minister within 48 hours would lead to them mobilising youths across the nation to shut down Abuja on Monday, 15th January, 2024.
Speaking via an open letter to Tinubu on Tuesday night, the National Chairman of the party, Comrade Emmanuel Bishop Amakiri cited abuse of office as it’s reason for demanding the minister’s suspension.
YPP insisted that they had evidence in their possession indicating that Tunji-Ojo was involved in fraudulent affairs with the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation under the leadership of Dr. Betta Edu.
They urged Tinubu to take legal actions against the minister to serve as a deterrent to others.
The letter read in part, “We have gathered evidence that a company owned by Minister Tunji Ojo, New Planet Project Limited, was paid a total of N438.1 million by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation under the leadership of Dr. Betta Edu, for consultancy services.
“This payment was part of the N3 billion awarded to several consultants for the National Social Register contract, which was intended for cash transfers and social investment programs.
“The payments made to Minister Tunji Ojo’s company, New Planet Project Limited, include N279 million for the verification of the list and an additional N159 million for the same purpose.
“It is worth noting that the company, which was registered on March 3, 2009, with registration number 804833, has Minister Tunji Ojo and his wife, Abimbola, listed as directors, with Gbadamasi Gbadamasi Clement as the company’s secretary.
“We strongly believe that Minister Tunji Ojo’s actions are in direct violation of the Nigerian Constitution and the Code of Conduct law. Sections 5 and 6 of the Code of Conduct law clearly prohibit public officers from engaging in conflicts of interest and participating in any business other than farming.
“It is a known fact that a contract of this magnitude could not have been approved except by the Federal Executive Council Meeting of which Minister Tunji Ojo is a Member.”
