278
By Bayo Davids
The Atiku Media Office has strongly condemned what it describes as a “voyage of misadventure and campaign of calumny” against former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
In a statement, issued on Thursday by Atiku’s spokesperson, Paul Ibe, dismissed recent allegations linking Atiku to funds purportedly belonging to Lagos State, calling the claims “a blatant lie from the pit of hell.”
The controversy stems from media reports suggesting that Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, through Ms. Aisha Achimugu, provided money to Atiku during the 2023 presidential election. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was also said to be investigating the matter. However, Atiku’s camp has vehemently denied any such transactions.
“We at Atiku Media Office have taken note of reports in a section of the media that the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu through Ms Aisha Achimugu made available to His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, Vice President of Nigeria, 1999-2007 money purportedly belonging to Lagos State,” the statement read.
Dismissing the allegations, the media office accused President Bola Tinubu’s political camp of orchestrating a smear campaign.
“Let it be known, that this is a blatant lie from the pit of hell; a contrived political hogwash, and a futile campaign of calumny aimed at advancing the political interests of President Bola A. Tinubu,” Ibe said.
Atiku’s team further emphasised that the former Vice President has no personal or political relationship with Governor Sanwo-Olu.
“It may interest Nigerians to note that the Waziri of Adamawa does not know Gov. Sanwo-Olu and indeed has never met him before,” the statement added.
The media office described the allegations as “kindergarten propaganda” and questioned the logic behind the claims.
It added, “how is it possible for an Atiku that does not know and had no connection with Sanwo-Olu to be having a transaction with him involving the exchange of money – let alone during the Presidential election of 2023 in which his boss was a contestant? To what end would that be?”
Beyond defending Atiku, the statement suggested a broader political strategy behind the allegations, accusing Tinubu’s camp of seeking to undermine both Governor Sanwo-Olu and the opposition coalition.
“We wish to, therefore, state emphatically and for the record that it is a political hatchet job aimed at providing a much-needed justification to jettison Governor Sanwo-Olu, who appears to have fallen out of favour with the ‘Bourdillon Cult,’” it added.
According to the Atiku Media Office, Tinubu’s allies are employing a two-pronged strategy: “get rid of Sanwo-Olu and to discredit the coalition being put together by the opposition political leaders, of which Atiku Abubakar is a key stakeholder.”
The media office also criticized the EFCC’s involvement, alleging that the agency had been politicized.
“Since the EFCC has been dragged into the arena of politics and propaganda, we challenge the anti-corruption agency to make public the outcome of its alleged investigation,” it stated.