Presidency to Atiku: Don’t drag us into fabricated controversies, social media gossip about campaign funds

The presidency has dismissed claims by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar that he is under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged financial dealings involving Lagos state.

On Thursday, the media office of Abubakar said the former vice-president did not collect money from Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, for the 2023 election campaign.

The media office was responding to reports suggesting that Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023, received campaign funds from Sanwo-Olu through a proxy.

Abubakar’s media office had asked the EFCC, which it alleged was investigating the matter, to make its findings public.

However, in a statement issued on Friday, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on information and strategy, said the claim by the former vice-president is false.

“The attention of the Presidency has been drawn to the unfounded allegations made by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who claims to be the subject of an EFCC investigation regarding unsubstantiated financial dealings involving Lagos State,” the statement reads.

“These claims, circulated through his media office, are false and reflect a troubling pattern of relying on social media gossip over substance.”

Onanuga said Abubakar is lending “credibility to baseless social media speculation to remain politically relevant”.

He noted that Tinubu is focused on addressing critical national challenges and advancing his administration’s agenda for Nigeria’s growth and stability and would not pay attention to “petty political distractions”.

Onanuga said Atiku’s claims are “infantile and a transparent ploy to deflect from his political setbacks”.

“His repeated attempts to drag the Presidency and now the Lagos State Government into fabricated controversies reveal a desperate bid for attention amid his fading attempt to cobble a coalition,” Onanuga said.

“Since his defeat in the 2023 presidential election, the former Vice President has failed to rise to the dignified role of an elder statesman.

“Rather than contributing constructively to the national discourse, he has chosen the path of divisive rhetoric and unfounded accusations.

“Lastly, the former Vice President should know that the EFCC, as an independent institution, operates within its statutory mandate without external influence.

“Any insinuation otherwise is a disservice to the agency’s professionalism and the rule of law.”

Onanuga asked Atiku to “redirect his energy” toward initiatives that foster unity, economic progress, and democratic stability.