Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly denied allegations that he received funds from Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu through Ms. Aisha Achimugu during the 2023 presidential election.
In a statement issued by his media office and signed by Paul Ibe, Atiku described the allegations as “a blatant lie from the pit of hell” and a politically motivated attempt to tarnish his reputation. The statement dismissed the claims as a “contrived political hogwash” orchestrated to serve the interests of President Bola Tinubu.
“It may interest Nigerians to note that the Waziri of Adamawa does not know Governor Sanwo-Olu and has never met him before, How is it possible for Atiku, who has no connection with Sanwo-Olu, to engage in financial transactions with him especially during the 2023 presidential election, in which Tinubu was a contestant? To what end would that be?”the statement read.
The statement further suggested that the allegations were part of a wider political strategy aimed at sidelining Governor Sanwo-Olu and discrediting the growing coalition of opposition political figures, of which Atiku remains a key stakeholder.
Atiku’s media office also questioned the credibility of the report, pointing out that an unnamed aide of Sanwo-Olu was quoted criticizing his own principal. “Pray, who does that?” the statement queried.
Additionally, the media office challenged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to publicly disclose the findings of its alleged investigation into the matter, arguing that Nigerians deserve transparency.
“Since the EFCC has been dragged into the arena of politics and propaganda, we challenge the anti-corruption agency to release the outcome of its investigation. The general public, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, deserve to know the truth,” the statement added.
Former Vice President called for an immediate halt to what he described as a smear campaign against his person, insisting that those behind the allegations should desist from using political propaganda to mislead Nigerians.
