Murtala Kankia, the current acting chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), has vehemently refuted the purported appointment of Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, a former member of the House of Representatives, as his replacement.
A letter circulating on Thursday, ostensibly signed by George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), announced Agbonayinma’s appointment as CCB chairman by President Bola Tinubu. However, an internal memo released by Kankia and obtained by TheCable dismisses the letter as “fake, misleading, and not originating from the office of the SGF.”
Kankia asserted his position as the most senior member of the bureau and declared that he continues to serve as the acting chairman until further directives from the president.
The memo states, “Barrister Murtala Aliyu Kankia, having served for an initial five (5) years term and re-appointed in 2018 and 2023, remains the most senior ranking member of the Bureau. He is now acting as Chairman pending further directives of the President to avoid a leadership vacuum.”
Addressing Agbonayinma’s claim, the memo adds, “Mr. Ehiozuwa Johnson Agbonayinma, serving for the initial five years appointed in 2021, cannot in any ramification claim seniority over the current Acting Chairman (Murtala Kankia).”
Kankia further emphasized that any determination of seniority would be made by the SGF office, with the decision communicated formally to the Bureau.
He concluded, “Note further that the SGF letter did not specifically invite Murtala Kankia to hand over to Hon. Ehiozuwa Johnson as falsely speculated.”