Former Vice President of Nigeria from 1999- 2007, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has stated that all allegations of corruption against him were false and he is not a corrupt person as being touted by former President Olusegun Obasanjo whom he served under as Vice President.
Atiku Abubakar revealed this when he paid a visit to the Governor of Ekiti state and PDP stalwart, Ayodele Fayose regarding his 2019 presidential ambition.
Atiku Abubakar’s political trouble started shortly after the 2003 elections which was won by the Peoples Democratic Party led by Obasanjo.
The relationship between Atiku Abubakar and Obasanjo became frosty over time until he was indicted for corrupt practices by the Senate which had been investigating the former vice president.
The Senate released a report in 2007 through an ad hoc committee set up under Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba indicting Atiku Abubakar of stealing funds belonging to the Petroleum Training Development Fund (PTDF).
The fallout from that report eventually culminated in the frustration of the presidential ambitions of the former vice president who consistently and vehemently denied the allegations of corruption while accusing Chief Obasanjo as well as the Senate of political persecution and attempting to stop his ambition of becoming president.
Atiku Abubakar told PDP delegates in Ado Ekiti to present a united front ahead of 2019 reiterating that the PDP was a favourite to win the forthcoming elections if enough commitment was made in the part of the leaders of the party.
“I have always said that if they have any evidence of corruption against Atiku, please come forward. But nobody has been able to come forward,” he said.
While speaking on his presidential ambition, he told the Ekiti delegates that he had a well packaged and distinct blueprint to develop the country if he was elected to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari.
He also bemoaned the fact that Nigeria had sunk to new levels of corruption under the current Buhari led administration.
He also noted that the country was not this insecure while making a reference to the civil war.
“I have come to appeal to you to support me in our party’s convention. I have the programme that will best develop this country. I wish to appeal for your individual and collective support,” he said.
Atiku Abubakar also described Mr. Fayose as a straight forward person, who spoke his mind when it mattered.
“I like the way you do things. You’re brutally frank. You say your mind, it’s a very rare quality. So, I commend for who you are. We will stand by you and the party in Ekiti until you retrieve your stolen mandate,” he said, in reference to the July governorship election in the state won by the APC.
Mr. Fayose then called for unity of the members of the party, reiterating that Atiku Abubakar has what it takes to lead the country, praying that his efforts would not be in vain.
He further admonished the party to be united;
“The greatest problem PDP may have is if we don’t go to that election as brothers and sisters.”
The task before the PDP at this time is not about who has been in the party before and who is just joining. It is about rescuing Nigeria and its people from the calamity of this Buhari’s government,” Mr. Fayose said.
The Ekiti state PDP chairman, Gboyega Oguntuwase, told the presidential aspirant.
“we have an interest within this your project and by the grace of God, we want this your project to succeed. Nigeria shall laugh, Ekiti shall laugh.
Atiku is the option to a ‘lifeless president.’ He’s not dead, but he is not somebody that can be counted to lead Nigeria to the promised land.”