Ayodele Olalere
The Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest and prosecute the People’s Democratic Party, PDP’s Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, over the purchase of a Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs).
In a statement jointly signed by its 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, at the end of a briefing, it drew the attention of security agencies to the revelations made by a whistle-blower, Mr. Michael Achimugu, who revealed how Atiku Abubakar, during his tenure as Vice-President of Nigeria between 1999 and 2007, allegedly colluded with his then boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo, to use public funds to purchase the “Special Purpose Vehicles”, SPVs.
The APC PCC alleged that the SPVs were purchased through companies that Atiku registered upon assumption of office as Vice-President (with the approval of President Olusegun Obasanjo) using “trusted allies” as shareholders and directors.
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It alleged that 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 Bells University and American University respectively. Now, we know from where the funds came,” the PCC added.
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It further noted that; “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.
“We strongly demand the immediate arrest and invitation, interrogation and possible of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar,” the statement stated.
The Council further said Atiku’s action were offences against the code of conduct for public officers as stated in Sections 5, 10, 13 & 17 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, and against the money laundering Act in Section 18 (2) of The Money Laundering (Prevention And Prohibition Act), 2022, as well as ‘criminal breach of trust.’