Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has denied some media reports which claimed that he received campaign funds from the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for the 2023 election.
Atiku, who was the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023, described the reports that he received money from Sanwo-Olu, who is a key member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as a “is a blatant lie from the pit of hell.”
“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 @jidesanwoolu through Ms Aisha Achimugu made available to His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, Vice President of Nigeria, 1999-2007 money purportedly belonging to Lagos State. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is also credited with investigating the matter.
“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,” a statement by Atiku media team said.
The statement also said that Atiku does not know Sanwo-Olu and has never met the Lagos governor before.
It further added, “This piece of kindergarten propaganda is beneath the camp of Tinubu. 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?
“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.”
“Indeed, their strategy is two-fold: 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.
“To even underscore how poor the propaganda is, an unnamed Sanwo-Olu’s aide is quoted in the news story trashing his principal and adding fuel to the fire. Pray, who does that? “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 is not just the President that is entitled to that information but the generality of the Nigerian public, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Presidential flag bearer in the 2023 election, Peter Obi.
“This voyage of misadventure and campaign of calumny against the person and reputation of Atiku Abubakar must be halted immediately and with alacrity, too.”
