PFIPC: Atiku Says Conflicting CBN, OAGF Testimonies Plunge Tinubu Govt Into Credibility Crisis

• Atiku says contradictory testimonies by the Central Bank and Office of the Accountant-General have thrown the Tinubu administration into one of its worst credibility crises

• Former Vice President demands an immediate independent investigation, insisting Nigerians deserve the truth over the controversial PFIPC accounts

• He calls on the National Assembly to summon the CBN Governor and Accountant-General to testify together under oath on the opening of PFIPC Accounts

• He called on President Tinubu to apologise to Nigerians and resign if he cannot restore public confidence and hold those responsible accountable

July 22 , () — Fresh political pressure mounted on President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday as former Vice President and Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, declared that conflicting testimonies by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) over the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) accounts had plunged the administration into a deep credibility crisis.

Atiku, in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said the contradictory accounts presented by two of Nigeria’s most important financial institutions had exposed what he described as a government trapped by its own inconsistencies.

The opposition leader argued that the testimony reportedly presented by the Central Bank before the House of Representatives fundamentally contradicted the earlier position taken by the Office of the Accountant-General, thereby raising fresh questions about transparency and accountability in the management of public finances.

Conflicting Narratives Deepen PFIPC Controversy

According to Atiku, while the Office of the Accountant-General reportedly denied authorising the opening of the PFIPC accounts and alleged that documents used for the process were forged, the Central Bank informed lawmakers that the accounts were opened on the directive of the Accountant-General after due process had been followed.

He said both accounts could not be simultaneously correct.

“This is where the cover-up appears to begin. One institution denied authorising the opening of the PFIPC accounts and alleged forgery.

“Another, before the representatives of the Nigerian people, stated that the accounts were opened on the directive of the Accountant-General after due process was followed. Both accounts cannot be true,” Atiku stated.

The former vice president said the conflicting testimonies had transformed what began as an administrative controversy into a major test of the Tinubu administration’s credibility.

The Turaki Adamawa emphasised that President Tinubu could no longer remain silent while institutions under his administration publicly contradicted one another over a matter involving public funds.

“When two of your most sensitive financial and monetary authorities publicly contradict each other on the same transaction, no serious leader needs a clairvoyant to know that his administration is trapped in a web of deception and a profound crisis of credibility.

“The President cannot continue to watch from the sidelines while his government tears itself apart with conflicting narratives,” he said.

Atiku challenged the President to publicly state which version of events he believed—the Accountant-General’s account or that of the Central Bank.

“If he believes neither, why has he not acted? Every day he delays ordering a truly independent investigation, he deepens public suspicion that preserving his administration’s image has taken precedence over establishing the truth,” he added.

The former vice president also criticised the continued silence of the Attorney-General of the Federation, describing it as a development that further compounded the credibility crisis.

According to him, the nation’s chief law officer should have taken steps to ensure that the conflicting claims were thoroughly investigated.

Calls for Joint Legislative Hearing

Atiku called on the House of Representatives to immediately summon the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria to appear together before its investigative committee under oath.

He argued that only a joint public hearing would enable Nigerians to hear a single, verifiable account of how the disputed PFIPC accounts were opened and operated.

“The PFIPC scandal has ceased to be merely about disputed accounts. It has become a referendum on President Tinubu’s integrity and competence,” he declared.

According to Atiku, if one individual could allegedly orchestrate events capable of throwing Nigeria’s foremost financial and monetary institutions into public contradiction, Nigerians were entitled to question how many other abuses may have escaped official scrutiny because of weak oversight.

‘Apologise and Resign’

In his strongest criticism yet of the administration over the PFIPC controversy, Atiku said President Tinubu owed Nigerians an unreserved apology for what he described as an unprecedented collapse of public accountability.

He maintained that if the President could not immediately restore public confidence through a genuinely independent investigation and ensure that everyone found culpable was held accountable, then he had forfeited the moral authority to continue in office.

“The honourable course is simple: apologise to Nigerians and resign,” Atiku stated.

As of the time of filing this report, neither the Presidency, the Central Bank of Nigeria nor the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation had issued fresh official responses to Atiku’s latest remarks.