Criminal forfeiture: INEC clears air on investigating Tinubu

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has debunked claims that it had commenced investigations into allegations of criminal forfeiture against the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu.

Tinubu had come under serious attack lately following the release of documents suggesting that some funds belonging to him were seized by the United States Government in 1989 for being proceeds of drug trafficking.

Since Friday, a press release purported to have been issued by INEC had surfaced online, claiming that the Commission has commenced an investigation into the case of criminal forfeiture against Tinubu.

The letter said the commission was liaising with a court in the United States to determine a possible violation of Nigeria’s Electoral Act 2022.

But on Saturday, INEC stated categorically that the said press release did not emanate from it, neither is it pursuing any investigation against the APC candidate.

“It is the handiwork of mischief makers and utterly fake,” a statement by the INEC spokesperson, Festus Okoye, read.

Okoye stated that statements from the Commission are always uploaded to the INEC Press Corps platform “and simultaneously disseminated through our website and official social media handles.”