The Code of Conduct Bureau has received the assets declaration forms filled by President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, head of the President’s media team, Garba Shehu, said on Saturday.
According to the media aide, the duo submitted their assets declaration forms separately on Thursday, a day before they were sworn-in.
Shehu added that the CCB, through its Chairman, Sam Saba, on Friday acknowledged the receipt of the forms.
The CCB chairman gave Buhari’s declaration identity number as “President: 000001/2015”.
Shehu, however, did not disclose the contents of the assets declaration forms.
“By declaring their assets, President Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo may have not only fulfilled the requirements of the Nigerian Constitution, but also fulfilled the first of their many campaign promises.
“While seeking election into the highest office in the land, the President had promised Nigerians that he would publicly declare his assets as soon as he took over government”, he wrote.
The Nigerian Constitution states in Chapter VI Section 140 that a person elected to the Office of the President shall not begin to perform the functions of that office until he has declared his assets and liabilities as prescribed in the Constitution.
However, there is unease that Buhari might have reneged on his promise during the campaigns to declare his assets publicly.
In a document titled, ‘I pledge to Nigeria’ – a bond he entered into with Nigerians, the then presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, had also said that all his political appointees would only earn salaries and allowances as prescribed by the Revenue and Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission.
“I pledge to publicly declare my assets and liabilities, encourage all my appointees publicly declare their assets and liabilities as a pre-condition for appointment”, he said among others.
With the submission of his assets declaration form to the CCB and 48 hours after he was sworn in, has President Buhari suddenly developed cold feet?
The National Publicity Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, told SUNDAY PUNCH that the PDP was not ready to engage the newly sworn-in administration on asset declaration by the two most important public figures in the country or any other issue.
Metuh said, “No comment for now. These are early days. At the moment, we wish them well”.
Perhaps, these are early days indeed and the president and his vice would still fulfil the campaign promise he made to declare their assets publicly.