39 days to 2023 presidential polls: Tinubu, Atiku fight dirty over alleged SPVs scandal

 

The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC) Monday called for immediate arrest and prosecution of the presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar for allegedly fleecing the nation’s fund using “Special Purpose Vehicles” (SPVs) between 1999 and 2007.

It also demanded withdrawal of Atiku from the race and a public apology to Nigerians.

The APC demands came on the heel of an audio revelation (which has gone viral) by one Michael Achimugu, who claimed to have worked with the former nation’s number two man as a spokesperson.

In the viral audio, Achimugu claimed between 1999 and 2007, former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration used some private companies to siphon public funds.

Addressing a press conference organised by all the media directorates of the APC-PCC in Abuja, the party said by the allegations, Atiku has committed many infractions of the law and should be invited for possible prosecution.

Chief Spokesperson and Director of Public Affairs of APC-PCC Festus Keyamo (SAN) said the nation was shocked by the revelations made by a whistle-blower, with what he called iron cast evidence against the former Vice President.

Also at the press conference were the Special Adviser Media Communications and Public Affairs Dele Alake, Director Strategic Communications Alhaji Idris Mohammed Malagi, Director Media and Publicity Bayo Onanuga and Director Special Media Projects/New Media Femi Fani-Kayode.

The Campaign Council which listed the breach of the code of conduct for public officers, said the ex-VP committed the offences of conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and money laundering as some of the infractions.

The Council called on security agencies to recover all monies allegedly stolen from the marine float account by the duo and several other collaborators exposed in the voice note by the whistle blower.

Keyamo said: “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.

“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.”

The Council called on all well-meaning Nigerians and the law-enforcement agencies to protect Achimugu, saying no harm must befall him or members of his family.”

It added: “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.”

Keyamo in personal capacity

Also speaking in his personal capacity, Keyamo said he had written an official letter to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences (ICPC) and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to demand immediate interrogation of the PDP presidential candidate over the said allegations.

It’s ploy to divert attention – PDP

But the PDP has described the call for Atiku’s arrest as a ploy to divert public attention from the alleged atrocious records of the ruling party’s candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

It said for Tinubu’s alleged “atrocious record and the vexatious misrule of the APC, he should withdraw from the Presidential race on account of simulated allegations by the APC.”

PDP National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba said this in a statement Monday in Abuja.

He said: “In contrast however, the APC Presidential Candidate has litany of confirmed legal impediments on very grave issues including those that border on international crime, namely; trafficking in narcotic and taking proceeds of narcotic.

“In the recent case revealed in the United States of America, it is on record that the APC Presidential Candidate forfeited the sum of $460,000 which was confirmed and found to be proceed of trafficking in narcotic; an international crime for which Nigeria, being a signatory to International Convention on trafficking in narcotic is obliged to enforce.

“The effect of the conviction and forfeiture of the sum of $460,000 by Asiwaju Tinubu confirms that he is ineligible and not qualified to contest for the Office of the President of Nigeria as required by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

“For clarity, Section 137 (1) (d) of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) provides that 🙁 1) “A person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if… (d) He is under a sentence of death imposed by any competent court of law or tribunal in Nigeria or a sentence of imprisonment or fine for any offence involving dishonesty or fraud (by whatever name called) or for any other offence, imposed on him by ANY COURT or tribunal or substituted by a competent authority for any other sentence imposed on him by such a court or tribunal.

“Having been convicted, sentenced and fined for narcotic trafficking in a criminal suit filed pursuant to the United States Criminal Code, Asiwaju Tinubu cannot by virtue of Section 137 (1)(d) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) seek office as President of Nigeria.

“The APC Presidential Candidate has not come out to deny the conviction and forfeiture or show evidence of any attempt by him to challenge or appeal the judgment, apparently believing that it will slide with time. Asiwaju Tinubu ought to know that time does not run against the State in a criminal matter!

“He should therefore withdraw from the Presidential race having been found ineligible and not qualified to run or to contest for the Office of the President of Nigeria under the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution,” Ologunagba added.

In a similar counter, the  Atiku Campaign Organisation also called for Tinubu’s arrest and  questioning for allegedly forming a militia group.

A spokesman of the group, Kola Ologbondiyan, described the formation of a uniformed squad allegedly by the APC code-named “Jagaban Army” as a treasonable act.

The statement said: “The Jagaban Army, which is apparently set up to disrupt the 2023 general elections and raid the polling units for votes on behalf of APC Presidential candidate, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is a direct affront to the Nigeria Armed Forces and other security agencies as well as an assault on the sovereignty of our nation.

“It is reprehensible that Tinubu can create a rogue force just for the purposes of undermining the electoral and security arrangements of our nation.

“Our Campaign holds that this nefarious act of the APC Tinubu/Shettima Campaign lends credence to the position of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and well-meaning Nigerians that Tinubu as well as his rank and file has set out to make our nation ungovernable and there after disrupt the 2023 Presidential election scheduled for February 25, 2023 using his army of ‘Jagabandits’.

“The notion of Jagaban Army is a ploy to bring hoodlums, thugs and gangsters together under the cover of the APC and turn them into official militia that will be used to unleash mayhem on the day of election.

“This reckless anti-democratic plot by the ‘Jagabandits’ must also be condemned by all lovers of democracy in Nigeria and across the world over.

“We call on the security agencies to save the lives of Nigerians and protect our electoral process by immediately going after this dangerous formation, arrest those behind this design and save our nation from electoral violence.”