Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has referred to as for the quick arrest and prosecution of the Individuals’s Democratic Occasion (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, over a latest revelation of alleged collusion with former President Olusegun Obasanjo to fleece and loot public funds after they had been in energy.
LEADERSHIP recollects that one Michael Achimugu, who referred to as himself a former aide of Atiku, had launched a video by which he gave particulars of how Atiku allegedly used phony corporations referred to as ‘Particular Function Automobiles’ (SPVs) to obtain bribes and divert public funds when he was vice chairman of Nigeria underneath Obasanjo.
Within the video, which went viral on the social media, Achimugu warned Nigerians towards voting Atiku as president on the grounds of his alleged corrupt tendencies.
Corroborating his claims, the ex-aide shared an audio recording of alleged telephone conversion between him and Atiku, by which the previous vice chairman admitted that whereas serving as deputy to Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007, he based the SPVs with the intention to “perform sure actions” in a deceitful bid to keep away from being linked to corruption.
Reacting to Achimugu’s revelations on Monday in Abuja, by means of the APC presidential marketing campaign council at a world press convention, Tinubu insisted on the arrest of Atiku, saying the previous vice chairman doesn’t get pleasure from immunity just because he’s a presidential candidate.
Director of Public Affairs and chief spokesperson of the APC presidential marketing campaign council, Festus Keyamo (SAN), stated Atiku should should apologise and surrender his presidential ambition.
Keyamo, who can be the minister of State for Labour and Productiveness stated, “We perceive that the regulation enforcement businesses could also be reluctant to behave merely due to the notion of persecution of a presidential candidate that this may increasingly evoke.”
A textual content of the world press convention by which Keyamo learn from reads: “For a few week now, Nigerians have been in deep shock over the grave revelations by a whistle-blower, Mr. Michael Achimugu, who has supplied the nation with iron-cast proof of letters of appointment by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, emails, paperwork, audio clips, sworn affidavit and direct oral proof as to how Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (who occurs to be the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Occasion) throughout his tenure as Vice-President of Nigeria between 1999 and 2007, colluded along with his then boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo, to fleece the nation and steal public funds utilizing what he termed “Particular Function Automobiles” (SPVs).
“These SPVs had been corporations Atiku admittedly registered upon assumption of workplace as Vice-President (with the approval of President Olusegun Obasanjo) utilizing “trusted allies” as shareholders and Administrators. The aim was to divert authorities contracts to those corporations as “consultants” after which paid monies into these corporations and used these monies to fund the PDP and their personal companies and household actions.
“We will all vividly recall that in that tenure, each President Olusegun Obasanjo and Atiku Abubakar constructed the Bells College and American College respectively. Now, we all know from the place the funds got here.
“We hereby make accessible Licensed True Copies of the affidavit sworn to and launched to the general public by the whistleblower, Mr. Michael Achimugu, giving graphic particulars of all that transpired, together with connected paperwork. Allow us to additionally play to you the voice recording he did of Atiku Abubakar. Be aware that he supplied the time of the decision, the telephone quantity used and the emails instantly previous the decision.”
Particulars Later…