By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
The presidential candidate of All Progressive Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked the security agencies, including the Department of State Service (DSS), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) among others to arrest or invite the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, for questioning over his alleged involvement in the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) saga.
Recall that a video trending in the social media by one Michael Achimugu, purportedly a former aide to ex Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, claimed that Atiku used a Special Purpose Vehicle to launder money while in power.
Addressing a press conference yesterday in Abuja, the joint Media Directorate of the Tinubu Presidential Campaign Council, led by Dele Alake, Special Adviser, Media, Communications and Public Affairs, said enough of playing the ostrich regarding the Special Purpose Vehicle saga.
“We strongly demand the immediate arrest and/or invitation, interrogation and possible prosecution of alhaji Atiku abubakar”, APC said regarding the alleged Special Purpose Vehicle scandal.
He said “for about a week now, Nigerians have been in deep shock over the grave revelations by a whistle-blower, Mr. Michael Achimugu, who has provided the nation with iron-cast evidence of letters of appointment by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, emails, documents, audio clips, sworn affidavit and direct oral evidence as to how Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (who happens to be the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party) during his tenure as Vice-President of Nigeria between 1999 and 2007, colluded with his then boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo, to fleece the country and steal public funds using what he termed “Special Purpose Vehicles” (SPVs).
“Those SPVs were companies Atiku admittedly registered upon assumption of office as Vice-President (with the approval of President Olusegun Obasanjo) using “trusted allies” as shareholders and Directors. The purpose was to divert government contracts to these companies as “consultants” and then paid monies into these companies and used those monies to fund the PDP and their private businesses and family activities. We can all vividly recall that during that tenure, both President Olusegun Obasanjo and Atiku Abubakar built the Bells University and American University respectively. Now, we know from where the funds came.
“We hereby make available Certified True Copies of the affidavit sworn to and released to the public by the whistleblower, Mr. Michael Achimugu, giving graphic details of all that transpired, including attached documents. Let us also play to you the voice recording he did of Atiku Abubakar. Note that he provided the time of the call, the phone number used and the emails immediately preceding the call.
“We understand that the law enforcement agencies may be reluctant 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”, Tinubu Media team said.
To this end, APC Presidential Campaign Council called on Atiku, in the light of the revelations, to immediately tender an unreserved apology to the Nigerian people and step down from the Presidential race forthwith, and hand himself over to the law enforcement agencies.
