Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has cried out that the Presidency was plotting to frame him and some of his friends, including former military dictator, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, in order to eliminate them from the presidential election in 2007.
Also alleged targeted by the administration are the Julius Berger Construction Company, the vast organization used extensively by the Babangida regime for just about any deal. Another finger is pointed at the arrest and release of Mr. Mike Adenuga, the man whose business success has been speculated to be tied to an intimate relationship with Babangida.
Abubakar’s allegations were contained in a statement in Abuja by his Media Consultant, Mallam Garba Sheu.
Abubakar’s allegations were contained in a statement in Abuja by his Media Consultant, Mallam Garba Sheu.
The statement came against the backdrop of a recent investigation into the financial activities of some of the friends and associates of the vice-president by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Apart from the EFCC’s arrest of the Chairman of Globacom Limited, Mike Adenuga, on Monday, one of Abubakar’s friends, Otunba Oyewole Fasawe, was recently quizzed for six weeks by the commission.No fewer than 15 others said to be friends and associates of Abubakar were either dropped from the Federal Executive Council or sacked as presidential aides.
Some of them were Ms Funke Adedoyin, a former Minister of State for Health; Special Adviser on Economic Matters, Prof. Mike Kwanashie; Senior Special Assistant (Programme Monitoring) and Speech Writing) and Mr. Andrew Ocholi.
Although the vice-president had in May said he had seen worse humiliation in the past six years, he expressed fears over the latest intense searchlight on him and his friends.
The statement read, “But the vice-president does not deny that he and some of his friends, including Babangida, have of late come under an intense searchlight intended to uncover faults that can be used to bar them from higher public office.
“In a further bid to nail the vice-president and Babangida, the construction giant, Julius Berger, has equally been directed to produce information on their 40-year existence in the country, showing a list of their directors and shareholders, a litany of all the contracts they did for the Federal Government, states, local governments, businesses and private individuals.”
Abubakar said the Federal Government’s move against him and his friends could not force him to shelve his presidential ambition.
The statement added, “But our belief is that such ‘lemon squeezing’ fault-finding, aimed at the disqualification of the vice-president, will not succeed neither will it deter the vice-president.
“Any talk of such disqualification is a wishful thinking, without a basis in law. Nobody has the right to disqualify any candidate seeking a political office and anyone in doubt about this should check the Nigerian constitution and the new electoral law.
“As for the basic requirements for running for any political office, including the presidency, the constitution is very clear about the requirements for aspirants.”
When contacted, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media, Mrs. Remi Oyo, said the Presidency would not dabble in the controversy surrounding EFCC’s searchlight.
She said, “President Olusegun Obasanjo does not want to make the investigation by an agency a subject of a controversy. However anyone with any shred of evidence can make it available to the agency to assist its investigation.”
