The Deputy Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2015 election in Niger State, Liman Kantigi, has debunked the claim that N2 billion was traced to a company account linked to him in United Bank for Africa.
This is coming few days after the EFCC traced another N4 billion to two accounts in Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, both allegedly linked to him and a company.
Kantigi said this is not in dispute as he is a shareholder in the company and not the sole owner.
In a statement issued and made available to journalists on Saturday in Minna, the politician and businessman stated that he was not aware of the said account that is being claimed belongs to him in UBA and currently trending in some section of the media.
Kantigi said: “It is unfortunate that for over a week now some persons have decided to clandestinely use the media to impeach my character as a businessman and politician linking me to issues that are unfounded.”
While acknowledging the fact that the EFCC has the constitutional right to investigate anybody they suspect, Kantigi said: “It is not true that I have been evading the commission because my lawyers are in touch with the commission and they are aware of this. So, it is not true that I am evading the commission.
“I want to categorically state that the claim that another N2 billion in a UBA account reportedly linked to me is untrue and figment of some peoples’ imagination who want to drag my name to the mud.
“I was Chairman of my Local Government with outstanding performances and a Honourable Commissioner for seven months. How could I have siphoned such amount and pushed to companies as an individual from the government agency as claimed?”
Kantigi stated that his lawyers will always be in touch with the commission and do the needful as required by law, adding that the way the issue of money linked to him is trending in some sections of the media showed that it was being orchestrated by people who would want to spoil his name and associate his name with anything bad by all means.
He said: “For God sake they ought to confirm from the banks if truly my names are there as their customer? I am neither a Director of such companies nor a Shareholder.”
Kantigi appealed to his teeming supporters to disregard all the “fake news” that are trending about him, saying they are false and unfounded and urged the media to cross check their facts very well before rushing to the public.
