By Francis Ekeh Abuja
The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar has challenged the flag bearer of the ruling party to provide answers over the allegations that a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) was allegedly floated by which he cornered over N100bn belonging to Lagos State.
Spokesperson of Tinubu Shettima Campaign Organisation, Festus Keyamo has asked security agencies to arrest Atiku Abubakar over what he described as #AtikuGate.
He referred to a video clip made by one Michael Achimugu, a media aide of the PDP standard bearer where he alleged that Atiku as vice president between 1999 and 2007 colluded with his then boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo, to mismanage the economy through the establishment of companies used as “Special Purpose Vehicles” SPVs to fund party activities and personal needs.
Responding, The former Vice President alleged that Alpha Beta and Soft Alliance were the SPVs used by the former Lagos state governor to siphon money from Lagos government and hence if Tinubu is the real culprit that should be arrested and interrogated.
Addressing the press Wednesday in Abuja, Spokesperson of the Atiku/Okowa Campaign Organization, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a text titled, “Tinubu is the Real Mr. SPV and Nigerian “Artful Dodger” said that “If anyone is to be arrested and disqualified from the presidential race on account of corruption, certainly, that person is not Atiku Abubakar but Bola Tinubu.’
The text reads in parts, “Today, the entire world has seen that the real Mr. SPV; the Corruption kingpin, the real “artful dodger” of Nigeria is Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the “emilokan” Presidential Candidate of the APC.
“Bola Tinubu, sensing that his many corrupt activities, especially his fleecing of Lagos State with many Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) companies was about to come to light, rushed to hire a serial blackmailer, as he has always done, to foul the public space with fabricated allegations against Atiku Abubakar.
“However, no matter how much falsehood appears to thrive, the truth will always prevail at the end of the day. Tinubu has not only failed in this mission to tarnish the clean image of Atiku Abubakar but in the process also exposed himself as the real Mr. SPV.
“It is now in public space how Bola Tinubu allegedly used a reported SPV company, Soft Alliance, to steal a whopping $1million belonging to Lagos State through an account 0015778102 in a third-generation bank and how the sum of $826,000 belonging to Lagos State was also reportedly moved to a domiciliary account 0036620785a allegedly owned by Tinubu in a first-generation bank with number in a three-day lodgment scheme.
“It is also in public space, how like the act of the notorious artful dodger, the money was on February 3, 2015 “split and paid in bits and pieces in $30,000, $30,000, $35,000, $30,000” into a domiciliary account 0036620785 allegedly belonging to Bola Tinubu in a first-generation bank.
“Nigerians are now in the know of how tranches of $35,000, $71,000, $100,000, $30,000, $200,000, $300,000, $30,000, $70,000, $80,000, $70,000 and $30,000 were alleged to have been taken by Tinubu from different branches of the said first generation bank between February 4 to February 5, 2015.
“Nigerians now know of how Tinubu has been desperately trying to divert attention from his alleged use of Alpha Beta Consulting Limited and Alpha Beta LPP, companies he reportedly owned by proxy, to loot N100bn tax money belonging to Lagos State, since 2002.
“It is now in public domain how Alpha Beta, which has for over 20 years held the exclusive rights to collect taxes in Lagos State in return for a commission under very shady arrangements through which it reportedly siphoned billions of naira belonging to Lagos State.
“The public is now aware of a petition before an anti-corruption agency wherein Tinubu’s alleged SPV company was reported to have used another company which shares same address with Tinubu’s office on Idowu Taylor Street in Lagos to launder Lagos State funds.
“Documents sighted in one of the anti-corruption agencies reveals that Tinubu’s SPV allegedly laundered over N20 billion ($46.5m) in different currencies to several companies, including payment of N1bn ($2.3m) to company that is widely known to belong to him.
“Bola Tinubu should come out clean and speak to these damning money laundering allegations against him. He should explain to Nigerians how billions of naira belonging to Lagos State and meant for the welfare of the people, reportedly found its way into Soft Alliance and ended in bits and pieces in foreign currencies into domiciliary accounts allegedly owned by him in commercial banks.
“We also challenge Asiwaju Tinubu to explain to Nigerians how, as Lagos State governor, he awarded the exclusive right of tax collection in Lagos State to his alleged proxy company, Alpha Beta, as well as the allegations that the SPV was used to steal over N100bn belonging to Lagos State.
“Furthermore, Nigerians are still awaiting the APC Presidential Candidate’s still has no explanation for his conviction and criminal forfeiture of $460,000 in a criminal case of trafficking in narcotic in the United States of America, for which under Section 137 (1) (d) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), he is not eligible to contest election in Nigeria.
“Since Asiwaju Tinubu has on his own opened up on the allegations of corruption, our campaign is prepared to help him to fill the gaps he wants closed.
“In the days ahead, our campaign will not hesitate to furnish Nigerians with a compendium of corrupt practices as well as the list of SPVs used by the APC Candidate to loot public funds in key government agencies thereby depriving Nigerians the benefit of our national patrimony.
“Now that Tinubu’s evil diversionary scheme against Atiku Abubakar has failed and Nigerians have seen that there is no iota of truth in his allegation against Atiku Abubakar, our Campaign demands that Tinubu should tender an unreserved apology to Atiku Abubakar, he should listen to the voice within and withdraw from the Presidential race.
“Nevertheless, the Atiku/Okowa Campaign Organization assures Nigerians that we will not be distracted in this task of rescuing our nation from misrule but will continue to rally with Nigerians in our collective desire to restore our nation to the path of purposeful leadership and prosperity for all.”