…Challenges APC to produce evidence

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council has criticised APC spokesman Felix Morka’s latest attack on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, accusing him of relying on allegations and political rhetoric rather than documented evidence.

In a statement by its Director of Strategic Communications, Phrank Shaibu, the council said Morka’s comments could not address Nigerians’ concerns over the rising cost of food, fuel, transport and electricity.

“Morka has become an untutored spin doctor for a party caught in the conundrum of a sinking regime,” Shaibu said.
He challenged Morka to produce any court judgment convicting Atiku of wrongdoing if such a judgment exists.

The council also questioned the APC’s criticism of Atiku over his record while citing the 1993 U.S. civil forfeiture involving $460,000 in funds associated with President Bola Tinubu.
The forfeiture arose from a wider U.S. investigation into alleged narcotics trafficking. Court records cited in reporting on the case said investigators alleged probable cause that funds in accounts controlled by Tinubu were connected to transactions involving proceeds of drug trafficking. Tinubu has denied wrongdoing and was never criminally charged or convicted in the matter.

Shaibu said the APC should allow Nigerians to examine the relevant records, including documents at the centre of the ongoing U.S. litigation involving the FBI and other agencies.
The current U.S. case is a civil records-disclosure dispute under the Freedom of Information Act. The FBI has submitted hundreds of pages of records to the federal court, but the documents remain under seal pending the court’s determination on what can be released or redacted.
“The records concern an investigation. Both facts can be true at once. A press statement from Abuja cannot erase a finding in a Washington courtroom,” Shaibu said.
The council also referred to Tinubu’s appearance before Nigeria’s Code of Conduct Tribunal in 2011 over allegations concerning foreign bank accounts while he was governor of Lagos State. The charges were struck out after the tribunal found that the Code of Conduct Bureau had not followed the required procedure.

On Tinubu’s educational records, Shaibu cited discrepancies that have previously been the subject of public and legal scrutiny, including differences in records relating to his educational history.

He also challenged the APC’s interpretation of the recent International Chamber of Commerce arbitration concerning the Mambilla power project.

The ICC tribunal examined a $500,000 payment made by Leno Adesanya, promoter of Sunrise Power, to Jennifer Douglas Abubakar, Atiku’s former wife. The tribunal said Adesanya had not provided sufficient documentary evidence to support his explanation that the payment was a legitimate foreign-exchange transaction and described aspects of the circumstances as raising “significant red flags.”

However, the tribunal also stated that there was no evidence in the arbitration record that Atiku had actually used his official position in a manner that facilitated the award of the Mambilla contract to Sunrise.

Shaibu said Morka was therefore wrong to present the tribunal’s observations as a corruption conviction against Atiku.

“Morka may raise each matter. He may not strip away the report’s distinctions and present the resulting fiction as a judgment against Atiku,” he said.

The council also disputed Morka’s claim concerning Nigeria’s foreign reserves, saying the APC spokesman had misrepresented the figures available when Tinubu assumed office.
Shaibu said the Central Bank of Nigeria reported foreign reserves of $34.39 billion at the end of May 2023, rather than the $3 billion figure cited by Morka.

“Morka simply deleted more than $31 billion from what Tinubu inherited, then invited Nigerians to applaud the ‘miracle’ that followed,” Shaibu said.

The council said Atiku’s proposed fuel subsidy would be targeted at petroleum products refined in Nigeria and designed to reduce costs for consumers.
It also cited Atiku’s record as vice president, including his role in the Universal Basic Education programme and the National Council on Privatisation.

“Tinubu has governed for more than three years. Nigerians can assess his leadership every time they buy food, pay for transport or settle an electricity bill,” Shaibu said.
The council challenged the APC and President Tinubu to address questions surrounding the various records cited in the statement.

“Let the relevant FBI records be released, with lawful protections for confidential sources and other individuals. Let Tinubu answer the questions their contents raise,” Shaibu said.