Six facts about Atiku Abubakar

PDP Presidential Candidate for 2019 Election Atiku Abubakar

   1.In the run up to the 2007 elections, then Vice President Atiku Abubakar contesting under the banner of ACN told the US Ambassador to Nigeria Mr. John Campbell in a meeting at the US embassy in Abuja that “Nigeria's presidents are selected by manipulation of the political process, not by vote totals”. Credible election is a sine qua non to democracy that civilised men and women thrives to uphold to engender the culture of an egalitarian society but if Atiku Abubakar does not believe in elections then what do Nigerian democracy stands to gain from him. His candidature reminds us of when results were written and announced by the likes of Able Guobadia and Muarice Iwu under their watchful eyes and the disillusionment with elections when votes did not count during Obasanjo and Atiku era.  In fact Atiku was the chief architect of the rigging of the 1999 and 2003 election. Atiku as a serial law breaker lacks respect for democratic processes. Can he accept to go through it now after having confessed that elections are mere formalities in Nigeria and that votes do not count?

  2. Atiku Abubakar was quoted as saying: ‘if the worst comes to the worst, I will insult any judge. It may not be only insults, but as well as beating up such a judge’. This was the threat made against judges by Atiku Abubakar, then Vice President, following the ruling by the election tribunal against his supposed ‘political godson’ Governor Boni Haruna relating to the disputed 2003 gubernatorial election in Adamawa State. In 2005, the then Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Muhammed Uwais was put under pressure and immense intimidation by Obasanjo and Atiku Abubakar that the CJN had to report to US embassy where he told the American ambassador, Mr. John Campbell that he approached the Embassy to relate the story to the Ambassador so that "someone knows what is happening here" in case "something happens" to him and the other justices. He was behind the manipulation of the judicial processes in favour of PDP.

   3. In February, 2007, a Senate Committee disclosed that its investigation discovered that Obasanjo and Atiku had diverted $145 million dollars from Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF). Billions of dollars were missing from the Fund during their rule and President Obasanjo accused Atiku of stealing it. Commenting on the stealing of money from PTDF and other alleged corrupt practices by Atiku and Obasanjo, T.Y. Danjuma said it was a case of trying to outdo one another as Obasanjo was also helping himself with the fund.

    4.  In the 8 years of their rule, Atiku Abubakar performed the duties of VP for only 4 years. The other 4 he was not allowed to say or do anything. He was eventually sacked by Obasanjo though illegally until the court voided it he was not allowed access to office. A vice president that committed serious offences that would warrant his illegal removal from office by the president wants to be president himself and the president who sacked him is supporting him. What is their agenda?

    5.  Atiku Abubakar took the role of an undertaker for corrupt deals while in government. For instance, he gave bribe of (N50 million) fifty million naira to Senators Mantu and Zingwina from a PDP slush account with Obasanjo’s full knowledge for senate confirmation of El Rufia as Minister of FCT.

   6.  Atiku is now facing his third defeat by President Buhari. First in 2007 presidential election when Buhari contested under the ANPP while Atiku contested under ACN. Atiku came a distance third behind Buhari who came second. He again came second in 2014 when he unsuccessfully challenged Buhari for the APC president ticket for the 2015 elections. Same is expected to happen on February 16, 2019.

Atiku’s endorsement scam: North east man represented Middle Belt Forum

Atiku Abubakar

A spokesman for the Middle Belt Forum said the man who represented the group and read an endorsement letter to Atiku Abubakar on Sunday is not from the zone.

According to Gowon Egbunu, the man Dr Bitrus Pogu is from Chibok in Borno State, in Nigeria’s north east. Pogu, he said, chairs the Chibok community in Abuja.

“I watched and listened with regret, one Dr. Bitrus Pogu, the Chairman of Chibok community in Abuja, on Channels Television a while ago, claiming to be speaking for the Middle Belt Forum”, Egbunu said.

The Middle Belt Forum spokesman emphatically denied endorsing the presidential ambition of Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 16 February election.

“There was no time when we came together as a people to endorse Atiku Abubakar as our candidate in the 4th coming elections. Atiku Abubakar is not our candidate and will never be”, said Middle Belt Forum spokesman, Gowon Egbunu.

“Beloved Middle Beltans, take that as fake news and go about your normal business. If there’s a need to endorse any candidate, you will be communicated accordingly”, Egbunu, who is director of media and publications for the forum said.

“This is to clear the air and put the records straight, that, Middle Belt people are honest and highly principled people, who will not sell their conscience for a loaf of bread. (NAN)

Reuters: How Atiku secured temporary waiver of US visa ban

*2 lobbyists helped secure temporary waiver on Visa Ban

*Atiku personally pays $80,000 a month to Holland &Knight, one of the two lobbyists, while PDP pays $90,000 to Ballard and Partners

Atiku Abubakar

Reuters has reported that Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party was able to visit Washington, United States  two weeks ago to meet with top U.S. diplomats and lawmakers due  to a temporary suspension of a travel ban.

The news agency said the visa ban, which is still in place,  was  linked to decade-old bribery scandals, quoting  people familiar with the matter.

The U.S. administration has not commented on Atiku’s status or his travel, but several U.S. diplomats and others familiar with the visit told Reuters the former vice president has been banned from entering the United States for the past several years after he figured prominently in two corruption cases.

For Atiku’s supporters, the fact he was able to visit Washington on Jan. 17 and 18 without being arrested was proof that the allegations were baseless.

“It is fake news, and we showed that,” said Harold Molokwu, who heads the U.S. chapter of Atiku’s People’s Democratic Party of Nigeria.

Several U.S. government officials said the travel ban was waived temporarily by the U.S. State Department after lobbyists mounted a campaign among congressional lawmakers arguing that the administration should not snub the leading challenger to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in the Feb. 16 election.

Several U.S. government officials said the travel ban was waived temporarily by the U.S. State Department after lobbyists mounted a campaign among congressional lawmakers arguing that the administration should not snub the leading challenger to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in the Feb. 16 election.

One person familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Atiku was allowed to enter because the United States saw little benefit to creating bad blood with the man who might be the next leader of Africa’s most populous nation and the continent’s biggest oil producer.

Lobbyists hired by Atiku said they sought to overcome resistance at the State Department by securing support from members of Congress for the visit, as well as arguing that the top U.S. official for African affairs, Assistant Secretary Tibor Nagy, had an obligation to encourage democracy in the seventh most populous country in the world.

Lobbyists hired by Atiku said they sought to overcome resistance at the State Department by securing support from members of Congress for the visit, as well as arguing that the top U.S. official for African affairs, Assistant Secretary Tibor Nagy, had an obligation to encourage democracy in the seventh most populous country in the world.

“Assistant Secretary Nagy was pleased to meet with him and share the U.S. government’s expectations that Nigeria’s elections be free, fair, transparent, and peaceful, and reflect the will of the Nigerian people,” a State Department official said, stressing the department had not requested the waiver.

Buhari first took power in a military coup in the 1980s but was democratically elected in 2015. He is seeking a second term in part on an anti-corruption platform.

Atiku’s visa troubles stem from when he served as Nigeria’s vice president, from 1999 to 2007.

He figured prominently in the corruption trial of former U.S. Representative William Jefferson, who was accused of trying to bribe Atiku in an effort to expand a technology business in Nigeria. Jefferson was convicted in 2009 and sentenced to 13 years in prison. His sentence was subsequently reduced.

Separately U.S. Senate investigators in 2010 alleged that one of Atiku’s four wives helped him transfer more than $40 million in “suspect funds” into the United States from offshore shell companies.

At least $1.7 million of that money was bribes paid by German technology company Siemens AG, according to Senate investigators. Siemens pleaded guilty to bribery charges in 2008 and agreed to pay a $1.6 billion fine.

Atiku has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Neither he nor his wife face criminal charges in the United States.

“These issues have been addressed several times in the past and we do not wish to comment further on them,” a spokesman for Atiku said when asked about the corruption allegations.

Holland & Knight was hired by Atiku personally in December to help him secure a visa, in part by enlisting members of Congress to request one on his behalf, according to a lobbyist for the firm. It has been paid $80,000 so far.Ballard Partners was hired by Atiku’s political party at a rate of $90,000 per month in September, before Atiku emerged as the party’s candidate, according to U.S. disclosure filings.

Atiku’s whirlwind visit to Washington last month was put together with the help of two U.S. lobbying firms.

Holland & Knight was hired by Atiku personally in December to help him secure a visa, in part by enlisting members of Congress to request one on his behalf, according to a lobbyist for the firm. It has been paid $80,000 so far.

Ballard Partners was hired by Atiku’s political party at a rate of $90,000 per month in September, before Atiku emerged as the party’s candidate, according to U.S. disclosure filings.

The firm’s lobbyists worked to set up a meeting with Nagy, arguing it would show that the United States wanted to encourage free and fair elections in a country where graft is endemic.

“We are not asking the administration or anyone to take sides, but to merely demand the same level of freeness and fairness,” Ballard lobbyist Jamie Rubin told Reuters.

Aside from Nagy, Atiku met with business leaders at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and at least two Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives who specialise in foreign affairs, Representative Michael McCaul of Texas and Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey.

Neither requested a visa waiver for Atiku, spokespersons for the two congressmen said.

Atiku stayed at the Trump International Hotel, owned by the president, and met with several hundred Nigerian expatriates there, according to two people who attended the gathering.

The luxury hotel is the subject of several lawsuits that allege Trump is violating an anti-corruption clause in the U.S. Constitution that limits the president’s ability to accept gifts from foreign governments.

Atiku’s supporters say they chose the hotel because they were able to book rooms at a discounted rate with only a few days’ notice.

“I think it was because of the availability of the space,” said Uche Udemadu, an official with the U.S. chapter of the People’s Democratic Party of Nigeria.

A spokeswoman for the hotel declined to comment.

Source: NAN

Chief Justice of Nigeria, Onnoghen to face Code of Conduct Tribunal

Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen

The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) has scheduled Monday Jan. 14 for the arraignment of Justice Walter Onnoghen, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), on allegations of false and non- asset declarations.

Mr Ibraheem Al-Hassan, the tribunal’s Head, Press and Public Relations, said this in Abuja.

He said the action was consequent upon an application filed by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to the chairman of the tribunal.

Al-Hassan said the application was signed by Mr Ibrahim Usman and Mrs Fatima Ali on behalf of the bureau.

He, therefore, said the tribunal would commence the trial of the CJN on six-count charge as the service of summons had been effected on the defendant.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Anti-Corruption and Research Based Data Initiative (ARDI) filed the petition at the Code of Conduct (CCB) against Justice Onnoghen.

Mr Dennis Aghanya, Executive-Secretary of the organization, who made the copy of the petition available to NAN on Saturday in Abuja, said the body had acted as a whistleblower.

Aghanya said the petition, which was filed on Jan. 7, was an offshoot of a painstaking investigation into the dealings of the CJN.

He said the organisation was of the strong opinion that the allegations were weighty enough to compel an action against Justice Onnoghen.

The petition reads in parts: “we hereby petition you on suspected violations of the law and the Constitution of Nigeria by the Honourable Mr. Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen, the Chief Justice of Nigeria.

“ Specifically, we petition you based on the alarming facts detailed below, all of which indicate that the leader of our country’s judicial branch is embroiled in suspected official corruption, financial crimes and breaches of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act.

“The particulars of our findings indicate that: His Lordship Justice Walter Onnoghen is the owner of sundry accounts primarily funded through cash deposits made by himself, up to as recently as 10th August 2016.

“These appear to have been run in a manner inconsistent with financial transparency and the code of conduct for public officials.’’

The body had alleged that Justice Onnoghen made five different cash deposits of 10,000 dollars each on March 8, 2011 into Standard Chartered Bank Account 1062650.

The group also alleged that the CJN on June 7, 2011, made two separate cash deposits of 5000 dollars each.

It was also alleged that the June 7, 2011 transactions were followed by another four cash deposits of 10,000 dollars each.

Similarly, ARDI further alleged that Justice Onnoghen had on June 27, 2011, made another set of five separate cash deposits of 10,000 dollars each and made four more cash deposits of 10,000 dollars on June 28, 2011.

The body alleged that the CJN had also failed to declare his assets immediately after taking office, adding that the inaction was contrary to Section 15 (1) of Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act.

ARDI also alleged that Onnoghen did not comply with the constitutional requirement for public servants to declare their assets every four years during their career.

The group alleged that the Code of Conduct Bureau Forms (Form CCB 1) belonging to Justice Onnoghen for 2014 and 2016 were dated and filed on the same day.

The group alleged that the acknowledgement slip for Declarant SCN: 000014 was issued on Dec.14, 2016 while that for Declarant SCN: 000015 was also issued on Dec.14, 2016.

The petitioner alleged that the two CCB acknowledgment slips were issued to Justice Onnoghen when he had been sworn-in as the CJN.

“The affidavit for SCN: 000014 was sworn to on 14th December 2016; 2 of 6 b. The affidavit for SCN: 000015 was sworn to on 14th December 2016.

“Both forms were received on 14th December 2016 by one Awwal Usman Yakasai.

“The discrepancy between Justice Walter Onnoghen’s two CCB forms that were filed on the same day is significant.

“In filling the section on Details of Assets, particularly cash in Nigerian Banks, His Lordship as Declarant SCN: 000014 mentioned only two bank accounts,’’ the petitioner alleged.

According to the petitioner, the CJN runs Union Bank account number 0021464934 in Abuja, with balance of N9, 536,407 on Nov. 14, 2014.

The body alleged that the second account the CJN said he runs is Union Bank number 0012783291 in Calabar, with balance of N11, 456,311 as at Nov. 14, 2014.

The petitioner said the sources of the funds in the accounts were stated as salaries, estacodes and allowances.

The petitioner, however, alleged that Justice Onnoghen as Declarant SCN: 000015, had listed seven bank accounts that were in use.

The group said the CJN was linked to Standard Chartered account 00001062667, with balance of N3, 221,807.05 as at Nov. 14, 2016.

Another account they alleged was operated by the CJN included Standard Chartered account 00001062650, with balance of $164,804.82, as at Nov.14 2016.

The other account linked to him is Standard Chartered with account number 5001062686, with balance of 55,154.56 Euros as at Nov. 14, 2016 among others. 

NAN