Emmanuel Thomas l Thursday, January 12, 2023
LAGOS, Nigeria – The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party,(PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has unveiled how he looted Nigeria as Vice President under Chief Olusegun Obasanjo through Special Purpose Vehicles, SPVs.
Atiku spoke in a leaked audio now circulating online in an interaction with his former media aide, Mike who needed information to be able to defend him before the media and those portraying him as a corrupt individual in 13th of June 2018, regarding the N100 million, then Plateau State Governor, Joshua Dariye allegedly paid to Atiku.
In the voice audio, the PDP Presidential candidate explained that that SPVs are companies set up by individuals using trusted cronies as Chairman and directors without any trace to the owner.
As Vice President, Atiku Abubakar was Chairman of the Economic Council in charge of Commercialisation and Privitisation of government agencies.
Atiku told his media aide that while he was Vice President of Nigeria, he advised then President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo against open corruption and asked him to submit three names of trusted individuals he could use so that he will prepare a company and use them as directors so that when government is awarding contracts they will act as consultants.
He said the former president gave him three names, Chief Andy Uba, Otumba Fasawe and the governor that died in plane crash.
According to him, the contentious N100 million was not paid directly to Atiku but to Marine Float, one of the SPV account adding that though the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC investigated the account, they found nothing incriminating against him because the money was not given to Atiku Abubakar.
In the audio, Atiku also denied ownership of Marine Float and asked Mike, his former aide to visit the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC and check for incorporated trustees of the company.
In the audio, Mike said it is the fleecing through SPVs that gives Atiku confidence each time there is corruption allegation against him to say that those against him should bring forward evidence of his corrupt practices.
