By Stephen Simon
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed renewed allegations of corruption against him as a political distraction, insisting that no amount of pressure or attempt to resurrect old allegations will stop him from contesting the 2027 presidential election.
Atiku’s response followed a fresh petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by former member of the House of Representatives, Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, demanding that the anti-graft agency reopen and prosecute alleged financial crimes involving the former vice-president.
Agbonayinma, through his lawyer, Hannibal Uwaifo of Sagitarian Law Firm, gave the EFCC 14 days to act on the demand, warning that failure to do so would lead to legal action against the commission. The petition, dated August 27, was received by the EFCC on September 1.
The petitioner based his demand largely on an EFCC investigation and report concerning Atiku between 2005 and 2006, when he served as vice-president under former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He also cited a 2010 report of the United States Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, alleging that both documents contained serious allegations of financial crimes.
But Atiku, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, rejected the renewed allegations, arguing that the matter had already been subjected to scrutiny by several institutions and had not resulted in his conviction.
The former vice-president said the Obasanjo administration did not shield him from investigation, stressing that he had submitted himself to scrutiny despite the political differences between him and the former president. He challenged anyone with fresh and credible evidence against him to bring it forward rather than relying on political accusations and media trials.
Atiku further accused his political opponents of recycling allegations dating back two decades because, according to him, they were unable to defend the record of the present administration on the economy and the rising cost of living. He described the renewed campaign against him as an attempt to manufacture an Atiku controversy ahead of the 2027 election.
The former vice-president insisted that the renewed controversy would not distract him from his presidential ambition, maintaining that Nigerians were more interested in issues affecting their daily lives than what he described as politically motivated allegations.
The controversy comes as political parties and opposition groups intensify preparations for the 2027 presidential election, with Atiku now flying the presidential flag of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). His camp has increasingly positioned the contest as a referendum on the performance of the President Bola Tinubu administration.
Meanwhile, indications emerged that the EFCC may be reluctant to reopen the old case, with sources suggesting that the proximity of the 2027 election could make any decision to revive a decades-old investigation politically sensitive. Agbonayinma, however, has rejected suggestions that his petition is politically motivated, insisting that his demand is aimed solely at accountability.
With the political temperature already rising ahead of 2027, the renewed controversy over Atiku’s past is likely to become another battleground in what is shaping up to be a fiercely contested presidential election.
