Corruption: Atiku Lists 30 Accused Persons Working For Buhari

The rivalry between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and

the main opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) took a new

dimension yesterday when former Vice President and presidential

candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubabar, reeled out 30 names

working with President Muhammadu Buhari who are all accused of

corruption, in one way or the other.

Some notable names among the allegedly corrupt APC chieftains,

according to Atiku, include; former governor of Edo State and

National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole; a serving

senator and former Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Adamu;

Lagos socialite and Director General of Nigerian Tourism

Development Corporation (NTDC), Folarin Coker; the Minister of

Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; former Lagos State governor

and National Leader of the APC, Senator Bola Tinubu; Chief of Staff

to President Muhammadu Buhari, Alhaji Abba Kyari; sacked former

Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir

Lawal; the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai; the minister

of state transport (Aviation), Senator Hadi Sirika; The First Lady,

Hajia Aisha Buhari; and the Executive Director, National Film and

Video Censors Board, Mr. Adedayo Thomas; former governor of

Bauchi State, Adamu Muazu; former Osun State Deputy Governor,

Senator Iyiola Omisore; former pension chief, Abdulrasheed Maina;

former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro; and

former governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu.

Also listed is the Bauchi State government under Governor Isa

Yuguda; former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Godswill

Akpabio; Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo; Kano State Governor,

Abdullahi Umar Ganduje; a two-term former governor of Jigawa

State, Alhaji Seminu Turaki; in-law to President Buhari, who is the

Executive Secretary, Border Communities Development Agency

(BDCA), Alhaji Junaid Abdullahi, and former governor of the state

who is currently in charge of Buhari’s campaign in Sokoto State,

Alhaji Aliyu Wamako.

Others are; the gubernatorial candidate of the APC in Imo State and

a close associate of President Buhari, Senator Hope Uzodimma;

serving Minister of Transportation and Director-General of the

Buhari Campaign Organisation in 2015, who has been charged with

the task of ensuring that Buhari is elected a second time, Hon.

Rotimi Amaechi; and the embattled Zamfara State governor, Alhaji

Abdul’ aziz Yari.

Others include the Group Managing Director, Nigerian National

Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru; and the suspended

Director-General, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mr. Ayodele

Oke.

While Oshiomhole was linked with petitions over allegations of large

scale corruption, during his days as governor of Edo State by a

human rights crusader, Bishop Osadolor Ochei, the PDP also

pointed accusing fingers in his direction in connection with alleged

financial inducements during the last APC primaries. Adamu, one of

President Buharis’s allies in the Senate, is being prosecuted

alongside 18 others for allegedly stealing N15 billion from the

treasury through contracts awarded when he was governor for eight

years.

While Coker faces N3billion fraud charge, Lai Mohammed was

alleged to have begged his subordinates at the National

Broadcasting Commission (NBC) for a ‘loan’ of 13 million to enable

him travel to China.

Tinubu’s Alpha Beta is facing N100 billion corruption allegation,

according to Atiku’s Special Assistant on Public Communications,

Mr. Phrank Shaibu who released the 30 names and the corruption

allegation against each of them.

The statement alleged Babachir’s involvement in the infamous

grass-cutting scandal as the SGF.

Shaibu alleged that Buratai allegedly bought two Dubai mansions

for $1.5 million; Sirika was accused of siphoning over N1.2 billion

on a phony Nigeria Air project, which was eventually suspended by

the federal government.

The First Lady was said to have made the list for reporting her ADC,

Sani Baban-Inna, to the security agencies over allegation of

swindling members of the public of the sum of N2.5 billion.

Muazu has N19.8 billion case of corruption with the EFCC, but he

has “taken refuge with the APC.” While Omisore’s N1.3 billion fraud

charge is still pending, he is already seeking political refuge in the

APC.