Presidency Withdraws Aso Villa Pass Of Suspended Minister, Betta Edu

The Presidency has withdrawn the pass of the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, thereby denying her access to the Aso Villa in Abuja.

Naija News understands that the pass enables top government officials to gain access to the Villa and meet with President Bola Tinubu.

A reliable source in the presidency who spoke with Daily Trust said, “The pass of the suspended minister to Aso Villa has been collected.

“That means she can no longer access the Villa until further directive.”

Naija News had earlier reported that Edu in a trending video online was seen leaving the State House in a black SUV after she was denied access to the president.

The Minister in a viral document addressed to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation ordered the payment of N585,189,500.00 into one Bridget Mojisola Oniyelu’s private account.

The leaked document showed that the money was meant to be paid into Oniyelu’s account.

Edu had also, in a statement she posted on her Facebook page on Saturday, said the allegation was baseless.

But the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, on Sunday said Tinubu had directed a thorough investigation into the matter, adding that any breaches would be decisively punished.

Meanwhile, Tinubu on Monday, said the suspension was in line with his avowed commitment to uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in the management of the commonwealth of Nigerians.

About 30 minutes after her suspension, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) invited Edu to its headquarters for probe.

She, however, had yet to appear before the anti-graft agency as of the time of filing this report.