The Atiku Media Office has dismissed as false and politically motivated the allegations that Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, through Ms Aisha Achimugu, transferred funds purportedly belonging to Lagos State to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Reacting to media reports linking Atiku to the alleged transaction, the media office, in a statement signed by Paul Ibe, described the claims as “a blatant lie from the pit of hell” and “a contrived political hogwash” intended to serve the interests of President Bola Tinubu.
“It may interest Nigerians to note that the Waziri of Adamawa does not know Governor Sanwo-Olu and has never met him before,” the statement read.
“How is it possible for Atiku, who has no connection with Sanwo-Olu, to engage in a financial transaction with him—especially during the 2023 presidential election in which Tinubu was a contestant? To what end would that serve?”
The media office further asserted that the allegations are part of a broader political strategy designed to achieve two objectives: first, to remove Governor Sanwo-Olu from office, as he is perceived to have fallen out of favour with influential political forces; and second, to discredit the opposition coalition that Atiku is helping to build.
“Indeed, their strategy is two-fold: get rid of Sanwo-Olu and discredit the coalition being put together by opposition political leaders, of which Atiku Abubakar is a key stakeholder,” the statement added.
The media office also questioned the credibility of the reports, pointing out the suspicious nature of an unnamed aide to Governor Sanwo-Olu being quoted in the media as criticising his own principal.
“To even underscore how poor this propaganda is, an unnamed Sanwo-Olu aide is quoted in the story trashing his principal and adding fuel to the fire. Pray, who does that?”
Calling on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to clarify its involvement in the case, the media office challenged the anti-corruption agency to publicly release the findings of its alleged investigation.
“Since the EFCC has been dragged into this arena of politics and propaganda, we challenge the agency to make public the outcome of its investigation,” the statement continued.
“The Nigerian public—including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi—deserve to know the truth.”
Concluding, the Atiku Media Office condemned the allegations as part of a smear campaign and demanded an immediate halt to what it described as a politically motivated attack on Atiku’s reputation.
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