The Presidential Campaign Council of the rulling party, All Progressives Congress (APC) has called for the arrest and prosecution of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, over a recent revelation of alleged collusion with former President Olusegun Obasanjo to loot public funds via ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ (SPVs) when they were in power.
The campaign council made the call on Monday at a world press conference, citing the revelations made by a whistleblower, Michael Achimugu last week, who said he was a former aide of Atiku.
The Director of Public Affairs and chief spokesperson of the APC presidential campaign council, Festus Keyamo (SAN), said Atiku must apologise and renounce his presidential ambition.
Achimugu, had alleged that Atiku used phony companies called ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ (SPVs) to receive bribes and divert public funds when he was vice president of Nigeria under Obasanjo.
The campaign council also played an audio recording of alleged phone conversion between Achimugu and Atiku, in which the former vice president admitted that while serving as deputy to Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007, he founded the SPVs with the aim to “carry out certain activities” in a deceitful bid to avoid being linked to corruption.
Keyamo, who is also the minister of State for Labour and Productivity said that insisted on the arrest of Atiku, saying the former vice president does not enjoy immunity simply because he is a presidential candidate. He said Atiku must apologise and renounce his presidential ambition.
“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.”
A text of the world press conference in which Keyamo read from reads: “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.”
Ifunanya Ikueze is an Engineer, Safety Professional, Writer, Investor, Entrepreneur and Educator.
