The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called for immediate arrest and prosecution of his counterpart in the People’s Democratic Party, Atiku Abubarkar for allegedly running what he termed a criminal enterprise and empire of fraud alongside the then president, Olusegun Obasanjo during their administration between 1999 and 2007.
The APC presidential candidate who spoke through his media office also demanded that the PDP presidential candidate should renounce his ambition in February 25 election.
While addressing a world press conference in Abuja, Monday, the media team comprising of Special Adviser, Media, Communications and Public Affairs, Mr. Dele Alake; Director, Public Affairs and Chief Spokesperson, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, Director, Media and Publicity, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, Director, Special Media Projects/New Media, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode and Director, Strategic Communications, Alhaji Idris Mohammed said that Nigerians are still deep in shock over the grave revelations by a whistle-blower, Mr. Michael Achimugu, who has provided the nation with iron-cast evidence of how the Wazirin Adamawa fleeced the country and steal public funds using what he termed “Special Purpose Vehicles” (SPVs).
Tinubu said that possible infractions of the law committed by Atiku include offences against the code of conduct for public officers, money laundry, criminal breach of trust as well as conspiracy.
The APC candidate however demands that the law enforcement agencies should not hesitate to act simply because of the perception of persecution of a Presidential candidate that this may evoke.
“However, facts are sacred. The facts so far presented to the world clearly indicate that Atiku Abubakar has a case to answer. In other climes when such serious allegations arose in the middle of campaigns, the law-enforcement agencies acted decisively. You may recall that, in 2016, in the middle of campaigns for the exalted office of the Presidency of the United States, the FBI opened investigation into allegation of misuse of private emails against Hillary Clinton when she was Secretary of State. In fact, the case was referred to the Justice Department for likely prosecution few weeks to actual voting. Though, she was later cleared, it bears restating that a sane and dispassionate system never allowed such side talks to dissuade or distract them from initiating a process of investigation. It is the minimum expected in a constitutional democracy. That is what we call on the authorities to do in the case of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
“The issue of the Marine Float Account is not new to Nigerians. In the voice note, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar can be heard boasting that the issue of that account was thoroughly investigated by EFCC, yet then he was smart enough to escape.
“However, we note that in 2006, at the height of his public quarrel with Obasanjo over the sharing of money, the same PDP officially asked Atiku Abubakar to refund N500million taken from that account.
“In the circumstance, since the nation now knows that the Marine Float Account and other similar accounts were ‘SPV’ accounts, it follows that all payments made into that account were monies stolen from the public coffers. Therefore, we call on all security agencies to recover all monies withdrawn from that account by anyone for that matter.”
Tinubu therefore insists that Atiku must apologize and renounce his ambition.
“In the light of these very grave revelations, we call on Atiku Abubakar to IMMEDIATELY tender an unreserved apology to the Nigerian people and step down from the Presidential race forthwith, whilst handing himself over to the law enforcement agencies.
“What is now clear to the Nigerian people is that between 1999 and 2007, President Obasanjo and Atiku ran a criminal enterprise and an empire of fraud in Abuja at the same time Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was toiling very hard, dutifully and meticulously laying the foundation to rebuild Lagos State.
“That following these revelations, it becomes clear that Atiku Abubakar has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO CAMPAIGN ON AGAIN AS THE PERIOD OF 1999 – 2007 that he always relies on can now be described by Nigerians as the “SPV years” when they ran Nigeria aground.
“That whilst President Obasanjo and Atiku deprived the good people of Lagos State their Local Government monthly allocations even after the Supreme Court ordered the release of the funds, they were busy stealing the nation’s resources by stealth in Abuja.
“That the real, dark reason for the seemingly irreconcilable quarrel between President Obasanjo and Atiku Abubakar is disagreement over monies they both stole in the ‘SPV’ accounts at that time.”
While calling for the protection of the whistle-blower, he said, “we call on all well-meaning Nigerians and the law-enforcement agencies to protect Mr. Michael Achimugu, who has blown this whistle on Atiku Abubakar. No harm must befall him or members of his family. We suspect that some goons of Atiku Abubakar are planning to eliminate him and harm members of his family. We shall hold Atiku Abubakar responsible if anything befalls this patriotic Nigerian or members of his family. We also encourage him to reveal to Nigerians those “earth-shaking” revelations he is withholding for the sake of this nation and the future of our children.”
