The former vice president claimed the president and his relatives own shares in some banks – The PDP presidential aspirant accused the APC of using government fund for campaign Atiku Abubakar who is the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has raised allegation that President Muhammadu Buhari and his relatives own billion dollar shares in a Nigerian bank as well as a telecommunication company. The Cable reports that this was contained in a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, one of his aides on Wednesday, December 26. Atiku said the call was necessary in view of reports that members of the president’s family own substantial share in Etisalat Nigeria, estimated at $2 billion. The statement read:
“Atiku also expressed shock at reports from unimpeachable sources that the first family now plays big in the nation’s financial sector after acquiring mouthwatering shares in Keystone Bank with total assets of $1.916 billion (equivalent to N307.5 billion) as well as purchasing about ₦3 billion worth of shares in the new Pakistani Islamic Bank. “I know that last week was turbulent for President Buhari and I apologise for adding to his woes, but as he is insistent on the myth that he is spotless and anti-corrupt, if this is found to be true, this scandal would break every rule of corporate and public governance, since this will be the first time members of the first family will be openly involved in a once-in-a-lifetime deal that would make them all richer beyond their wildest dreams.”
Atiku also criticised the Anchor Borrowers Programme of the All Progressives Congress (APC) government for farmers. He claimed the president was using state resources and machinery for the 2019 presidential poll. “The other day, a man who scored 15,424,921 votes to win the 2015 general election was reported to have been nominated by 14 million APC members at the Presidential primaries for 2019. “Now, over 12 million farmers have donated to his campaign. Are they indirectly spewing out outrageous figures of people they intend to claim voted for them in the coming elections? Could that be why the President was flashing an occult double four hand signal that has gone viral?What did the hand signal mean? Does it mean that the President has jettisoned the idea of a free and fair election and telling Nigerians that no matter how they vote, he will return for a second term of four years? “In any case , if the farmers who just took a loan through the borrowers anchor programme and have not liquidated the facility can donate this huge sum or any sum for that matter, it means the ‘Association of widows and children of all those slain by Boko Haram and herdsmen will donate N5billion to the Buhari campaign. In fact, the 23.1 million youth who lost their jobs between 2016 till date will donate about N12billion to the Buhari campaign. 
“Assuming but not even conceding that such a huge sum of money was donated to President Buhari by Nigerian farmers as his handlers would want Nigerians to believe, wouldn’t such donation be in contravention of Section 91 (9)of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) which says no individual or other entity shall donate more than N1m to an aspirant or a candidate. “We have no stand on whether or not President Buhari should run for office. That is his prerogative and that of his party. But we believe it is improper for public office holders to forcefully loot public funds, on behalf of a sitting president seeking a second term in office. What this means is that there is a ‘war chest’ which apparently is from the national coffers.” Meanwhile, the presidency has advised Nigerians to be wary about what comes out from the opposition, especially the Peoples Democratic Party, so as not to be misled into voting for a party that sees nothing wrong with corruption. Malam Garba Shehu, the senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity gave the advice when he reacted to allegations levelled against the Buhari administration by the PDP.” Photo Credit: Getty
