Tinubu making false claims of inherited estate, trading in stocks, Atiku says
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has poured cold water on claims by Bolat Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), that he made his wealth from inherited estate and trading in stocks.
“I inherited great real estates. I turned the values around. I’m not denying my wealth. I’ve not been … I was the most investigated, the most accused Governor in opposition up to, you know, for eight years and up to 2007.
“And since I left the office, I’m still there, I’ve not taken any government appointment, no government contract,” Tinubu told BBC Focus On Africa last week.
Atiku on Monday lampooned Tinubu for telling a “fairytale” in response to a question about the true source of his wealth. Tinubu countered by accusing Atiku of lying, making false promises, and being desperate to capture power at all costs.
Atiku asks Tinubu to list his companies, source of wealth
“Obviously thrown off balance when the BBC reporter asked him to disclose the source of his stupendous wealth, APC Presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, responded by asking, ‘Are you an enemy of wealth?’
“He subsequently told a fable of how he inherited property and also traded stocks like Warren Buffet. This is complete hogwash. This is obviously balderdash,” Atiku said in a statement he issued through his Media Assistant Phrank Shaibu, per Vanguard.
“Tinubu would do well to stop comparing himself with Warren Buffet, whose source of wealth has never been linked to narcotics by US authorities.
“To be clear, questions on Tinubu’s source of wealth did not start today. US authorities said Tinubu revealed in bank documents that he worked with Mobil Nigeria Limited in 1989 and his salary was just $2,400 and he had no other sources of income.
“But records from his First Heritage Bank account showed that in 1990 (just within one year), Tinubu deposited $661,000 into his individual money market account and in 1991 deposited $1,216,500 into the same money market account. Where did he get the money from?
“On the other hand, Atiku Abubakar’s source of wealth has never been in doubt. The ones he has listed publicly include: NICOTES (now Intels) founded in 1989; Prodeco, 1996; Atiku Farms, 1982; and ABTI schools, 1992.
“Some of these companies like INTELS have had reputable Nigerians like the late General Shehu Yar’Adua and even traditional rulers on its board. We dare Tinubu to list his companies and source of wealth as Atiku has done.
“Bola Tinubu is a man who publicly boasted in Osun State in 2018 that he was richer than Osun. In 2019, he had bullion vans on his premises in Ikoyi and admitted to sharing money with his supporters.
“When he was challenged by journalists, he said he was not a government contractor. So, what is his source of wealth?
“Why can’t Tinubu be brave enough to reveal his source of wealth? For starters, this is a man whose name is not even on the CAC registration documents of any of the companies linked to him.”
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Atiku selling false promises, Tinubu warns voters
Tinubu countered through APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) Media and Publicity Director General Bayo Onanuga saying the PDP should be ashamed of its appalling governance between 1999 and 2015.
“We need to warn Nigerians to be wary of the sugar-coated promises of former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, and his PDP as they embark on their inordinate and desperate campaign to gain power at all costs,” he fired off, per Vanguard
“Of course, this is fake history at its worst. We are not fooled. Nigerians should also not be fooled about the bare-faced lies, being articulated by the candidate and his party.
“What is more shocking is Atiku’s audacity in standing up to ask for our votes despite what his boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo, wrote about him in his book, ‘My Watch’.
“Obasanjo wrote that it would have been an unpardonable mistake ‘and sin against God to foist him on Nigeria.’ Obasanjo still believes so till tomorrow.
“Obasanjo still rues till today making Atiku his vice president in 1999, only to discover later, as stated in the former president’s book, his (Atiku’s) shadowy parentage, his propensity [for] corruption, his tendency to disloyalty, his inability to say and stick to the truth all the time, a propensity for poor judgment, his belief and reliance on marabouts, his lack of transparency, his trust in money to buy his way out on all issues and his readiness to sacrifice morality, integrity, propriety, truth and national interest for self and selfish interest.
Atiku lying to grab power, says Tinubu
“Aware that this is his last shot at the elusive presidency, Atiku, while on the hustings, has been spewing series of lies, making empty promises and presenting a false narrative about our present reality and the legacy of the 16-year ignoble era of the PDP administration, of which he was a principal actor.
“He claimed at his rally in Abuja on Saturday that the country is not secure for trading and farming, a false narrative that he has been pushing around for some time, since he relocated to Nigeria from his base in Dubai, principally to contest the election.
“We believe in his private moment that Atiku will concede that his view about insecurity is exaggerated.
“Our country is certainly better secure than in 2015 when the PDP allowed insurgents to seize 17 local councils in Borno and some four councils in Atiku’s home state of Adamawa State, when Abuja was under constant bomb attacks and people slept with eyes wide open.
Proof of progress under APC administration
“What further proof of progress made by the APC does Atiku need than the fact that he was able, recently, to carry his party men and women to Maiduguri to hold a rally, without any attacks by insurgents and bandits.
“Atiku can also drive smoothly from Yola, his state capital, to Jada, his home town, on a reconstructed road by the Buhari-led APC administration. The road was impassable for eight years Atiku was vice president and got progressively bad and totally cut off from civilisation until the Buhari government reconstructed it.
“Atiku claimed that our country has the highest number of out-of school children in the world, without telling his audience that the problem, which was exacerbated by banditry in North-West and insurgency in North-East, took its root from the stewardship of his party when the population of out-of-school children phenomenally rose from 10.5 million in 2010 to 13.2 million in 2015.
“The most grotesque of Atiku’s promise is that he will ensure that the ASUU stopped going on strike, so that universities ‘reopen forever and ever.’
“Mr. Atiku forgot to tell his audience that a PDP government in 2009 signed an agreement with ASUU, which it never implemented for six years, leaving the mess of the agreement for APC to deal with.
Atiku has not changed his character
“Meanwhile, as Nigerian universities were left to rot under the PDP’s watch, Atiku and his boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo, opted to set up their own universities, ABTI-American University and Bell University, meant for the children of the rich.
“A pointer that this former vice president has not changed in his character as portrayed by Obasanjo and his promise to sell the newly commercialised NNPC Ltd and all its assets and subsidiaries for just $10 billion.
“Even before inviting bids, he had already undervalued the oil conglomerate, the way he undervalued Nigerian companies he was asked to sell, under the abused privatisation programme of the Obasanjo administration.”