The presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has attributed his source of wealth to real estate he inherited and later reverted to.
This was announced by Tinubu during an interview with BBC Africa, which was monitored by Nairametrics, after his appearance at Chatham House in London.
Tinubu, who insisted that critics of his source of wealth are envious of his achievements, said he has not accepted any government appointments or contracts since leaving office.
Tinubu admits his wealth
Tinubu said he would not deny his wealth, adding that he was the most investigated and charged opposition government in 8 years.
Asked if Nigerians have a right to know the source of their next president’s wealth, Tinubu said: “Are they enemies of wealth? If they are not enemies of wealth, investments pay off.
“I have an example of Warren Buffett. One of the richest in America and the world. He started from buying stocks and brokerage.
“I inherited large real estate holdings. I flipped the values. I am not denying my wealth. I have not been… I was the most investigated, the most accused governor in the opposition until, you know, for eight years and until 2007.
“And since I left the office, I am still there, I have not taken any appointment with the government, any contract with the government.”
Dismisses accusation of taking a share of Lagos revenue
Tinubu, who was governor of Lagos state from 1999 to 2007, said his accusers have no proof that he derives a share of Lagos state revenue.
On the allegations that he was taking a share of the income that Lagos earned, he said: “Hey, excuse me, share what? Have you tried it? The World Bank, (and) the International Monetary Fund have investigated the records in Lagos State. What’s wrong with them? It’s envy, envy, envy.”
When asked if he would vote for any of the top 2 candidates if he did not run, Tinubu said that he would not vote for any of his counterparts if he did not run in the 2023 general election.
He specifically said that he would not vote for Peter Obi of the Labor Party (LP), and Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), if he was not on the ballot.
He said, “None because they are not as competent as anyone else. They have no record, none of them are qualified except me.”