The Democratic Front (TDF) has described recent claims by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that he was contesting elections with thieves as improper and an insult to the sensibilities of Nigerians.
In a statement signed by its Chairman Danjuma Muhammad and Secretary Wale Adedayo, TDF said many Nigerians would fund the claim laughable.
“We hold this view because our fact-checking reveals that no former public officer in Nigeria’s recent history, has been mentioned as often as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in major corruption-related reports.
“In volume 2 of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s book ‘My Watch’, Obasanjo recounted how former President Ibrahim Babangida informed him about Atiku’s retirement from the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) under circumstances that were related to official corruption.
“As an incumbent Vice President, Atiku Abubakar served as the Chairman of the National Council on Privatization (NCP), during which he presided over the most controversial privatization exercise in world history.
“Till date, Atiku is yet to explain to Nigerians how major national companies and enterprise, built with huge public funds were under- valued and sold at low questionable rates.
We also know that former President Obasanjo, and Malam Nasir El-rufai, have, in different accounts in their books, criticized and described the privatization under Atiku’s headship of NCP, as an exercise replete with monumental corruption. Atiku is yet to come clean on this historic national scandal.”
The group also recalled two other scandals where the former Vice President’s name featured prominently.
“And precisely in 2005, Atiku’s name featured again in another high profile international bribery scandal, involving an American Congressman William Jefferson, who claimed to be doing businesses with the governments of Nigeria, Cameroun and Angola.
“Although no charges were pressed against the former Vice President ,his name was uncomfortably prominent in the statements of Congressman William Jefferson, who was later investigated, prosecuted, and sentenced to 13 years imprisonment, under the American and international laws.
“Furthermore, in 2006, former Vice President Atiku was indicted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), over an alleged diversion of public funds from the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), to the accounts of some private companies that were directly linked to Atiku. This particular indictment almost ended his political career.
“Even though the former Vice President secured a favourable court judgement against the EFCC indictment, it is still widely believed that the anti-graft agency would have won the case against Atiku, if that judgement had been appealed at a higher court of jurisdiction.
“Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s excessive feature in controversial corruption reports is overwhelming and worrisome. It is not befitting of a person seeking to be elected President of Nigeria.
“This is why TDF is surprised that the former Vice President had the courage to throw stones from a glass house by referring to his fellow contestants in the forthcoming general elections as thieves.
“We are not accusing Atiku of being complicit in any of the aforementioned corruption reports, but we are of the view that Atiku Abubakar does not have the moral right to call anyone a thief, until he is able to erase the thick cloud of public skepticism and distrust around his image and personal integrity,” it added.
