…Stop Recycling Old Allegations, He Tells President
Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to make public records relating to allegations against him, insisting that Nigerians deserve the same standard of transparency from all political leaders.
Atiku made the call in a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, accusing the Tinubu administration and its supporters of recycling allegations dating back more than two decades.
He alleged that the renewed focus on the old allegations was an attempt to divert attention from the economic hardship confronting Nigerians, including rising food prices, transportation costs, rent, electricity, education and healthcare expenses.
“At some point, desperation announces itself. When those defending this government can no longer explain why food, transportation, electricity, rent, education, insecurity and healthcare are increasingly beyond the reach of ordinary families, they rummage through twenty-year-old files looking for an escape route,” Atiku said.
The former vice president maintained that the allegations against him had previously been examined by various institutions during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
He listed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), an administrative panel, the National Assembly and the courts among institutions that had scrutinised the allegations.
Atiku said he had not been convicted by any court over the allegations and challenged anyone with credible evidence to present it through the appropriate legal channels.
“So what exactly has been discovered in 2026 that Nigeria did not hear twenty years ago? A petition is not a conviction, an acknowledgement stamp is not evidence of guilt, and repetition cannot magically become a judgment of court,” he said.
Atiku also compared the allegations against him with President Tinubu’s position in a legal case in the United States involving requests for records from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
He questioned why Tinubu should demand transparency from others while seeking to prevent the disclosure of records concerning himself.
“The contrast with Bola Tinubu is almost comic. While I am saying, ‘bring out your evidence,’ Tinubu actually went to an American court to intervene in a case seeking FBI and DEA records concerning him, citing privacy interests in records he argued should not be disclosed,” he said.
The ADC candidate challenged political leaders to allow every lawful record to be subjected to scrutiny, saying Nigerians should be allowed to determine who has been transparent.
“My challenge is simple: let every lawful record be opened and every allegation tested. Let Nigerians see who welcomes scrutiny and who reaches for privacy arguments when the files concern him,” Atiku said.
He also cautioned the EFCC against being used as a political weapon, urging the anti-graft agency to investigate credible allegations regardless of the political status of those involved.
“The EFCC belongs to Nigeria, not to any government, party or candidate. It should investigate genuine wrongdoing wherever it finds it, but state institutions must never become emergency political weapons activated whenever those in power are losing the argument on governance,” he said.
Atiku argued that revisiting old allegations would not solve the economic problems confronting Nigerians.
“You cannot feed a hungry family with an EFCC petition. You cannot restore purchasing power with recycled allegations, and you cannot make life affordable by shouting Atiku whenever Nigerians demand answers,” he added.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general election, the ADC presidential candidate said Nigerians would ultimately judge political leaders by their records in office, the quality of life of citizens and the future they offer the country.
“The old script did not stop me then, and it will not stop me now. In 2027, Nigerians will judge us by our records, the lives they are living and the future we offer them,” Atiku said.
