Below is a statement from the Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organization made available to KBlog;
Our
attention has been drawn to a statement credited to the Presidential
Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar
disputing the assertion by President Muhammadu Buhari that the system in
Nigeria allows corruption to thrive because the system is slow in
tackling corruption. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar further blamed President
Muhammadu Buhari for perceived failure in addressing some instances of
‘corrupt practices’ under his watch.
Let us remind Alhaji Atiku
Abubakar that he is one of the greatest beneficiaries of the failed
system in tackling corruption that was in place before President
Muhammadu Buhari took over in 2015. We know he is aware of this, hence
his latest diatribe against President Muhammadu Buhari amounts to
nothing but disgusting grandstanding and an attempt to mock the system.
If
the system in Nigeria was indeed working, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar would
not have acquired substantial shares in INTELS in clear conflict of his
duties as a Customs Officer whilst in office. Those shares would have
belonged to the Nigerian people by now.
If the system in Nigeria
was indeed working, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar would not have run a
monopolistic company called INTELS all these years, ripping off the
Nigerian people and the Nigerian State before Muhammadu Buhari came and
broke that monopoly.
If the system was working, Alhaji Atiku
Abubakar would have been prosecuted and jailed for various acts of
corruption and abuse of office after he left office as Vice President,
some of which are:
(a) For himself and his boss, President
Olusegun Obasanjo, granting themselves licenses to build universities as
President and Vice President whilst in office in clear breach of the
Code of Conduct for Public Officers. Those Universities would have been
probed, seized and transferred to the Nigeria State and the Nigerian
people by now.
(b) Laundering slush funds to the United States of
America using phony companies, part of which was used to fund his
present American University in Adamawa State through which he is also
extorting Nigerians through exorbitant fees. It is public knowledge that
this indictment is contained in a US Congressional Report that has led
to the prosecution and conviction of his accomplices in the US, which
are William Jefferson and Siemens. They were convicted under a system
that works, whilst he has been walking free in Nigeria and even aspiring
to the highest office in the land. It is also public knowledge that his
ban from entering the United States was as a result of these
indictments.
(c) His indictment and recommendation for
prosecution by the Report of the EFCC over the PTDF scandal whilst he
was Vice President.
We have also read with keen interest the case
filed against Alhaji Atiku Abubakar by some public spirited Nigerians
alleging that he never paid his Personal Income Taxes as at when due,
yet he wants to ‘get Nigeria working again’. In this regard, we are also
challenging Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to publicly display his Personal
Income Tax receipts for the 3 years preceding 2018 to show that he did
not just run to FIRS in 2018 to pay his backlog of Personal Income
Taxes.
For the information of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, President
Muhammadu Buhari’s gallant efforts in tackling corruption headlong has
led to the conviction of the President’s own party men and ex Governors
who served under PDP and for acts they committed whilst in PDP. 703
persons and institutions have been convicted by the EFCC under the watch
of President Muhammadu Buhari since 2015. The biggest recoveries of
stolen public funds in the history of Nigeria are being carried out by
President Muhammadu Buhari. These recoveries were made from principally
his party men who now wish to lead Nigeria with him. Some of these
recoveries/seizures/forfeitures (interim and final) are:
(a) 407 Mansions since 2015.
(b) N794 Billion, over $261 Million Dollars, 1.1 Million Pounds Sterling, 8.1 Million Euros,
(c) 259 Automobiles.
(d) A fully functional hospital, St. Solomon Health Care Centre at 24, Adeniyi Jones Street, Ikeja Lagos e.t.c.
There
are so many other instances too numerous to mention. These are a world
apart from the few instances of the reluctant fight against corruption
that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar claimed happened under his watch as Vice
President. During his time, there was a competition for corruption
between himself, his boss and public officers.
We also urge the
PDP to stop making wild, unsubstantiated allegations of corruption
without a modicum of proof. We have no time to respond to any allegation
by the PDP without the backing of some kind of document or proof. When
we see some scintilla of proof, we shall respond appropriately. And that
is how we have treated the recent allegation of acquisition of shares
in Etisalat and Keystone Bank by some supposed ‘family members’ of the
President. No name was mentioned and no document was shown.
Alhaji
Atiku Abubakar latest adventure in trying to stand shoulder-to-shoulder
in matters of integrity with President Muhammadu Buhari is a political
suicide mission from which we thought his handlers would have tried to
steer him away. But alas! They have decided to test the waters. Locally
and internationally President Muhammadu Buhari stands several miles away
from Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in matters of integrity. When the President
used all his life in public office building a reputation and a name,
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar used all his life in public office to build
mansions and acquire personal wealth. Now Judgment Day has come when the
credentials needed by the Nigerian people for the highest office are
not the buildings and wealth but the simple quality of integrity.
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar cannot eat his cake and have it.
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