Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed claims that Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu contributed funds to his campaign during the la
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed claims that Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu contributed funds to his campaign during the last presidential election.
In a statement issued by his spokesman, Paul Ibe, and titled Halt This Tinubu’s Voyage of Misadventure and Campaign of Calumny Against Atiku Abubakar, the Atiku Media Office refuted reports suggesting that Sanwo-Olu, through flamboyant socialite, Aisha Achimugu, provided the former VP with money allegedly belonging to Lagos State.
“The reports in a section of the media that the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, through Aisha Achimugu, made available to Atiku Abubakar, Vice President of Nigeria (1999–2007), money purportedly belonging to Lagos State is not true,” the statement read.
Achimugu is currently under investigation over alleged money laundering and investment scam.
Ibe, in the statement from the Atiku Media Office stated that: “It may interest Nigerians to note that the Waziri of Adamawa does not know Governor Sanwo-Olu and has never met him before.”
Describing the allegation as kindergarten propaganda from Tinubu’s camp, he questioned the logic behind the claim: “How is it possible for an Atiku who does not know and has no connection with Sanwo-Olu to be involved in a financial transaction with him—let alone during the 2023 presidential election in which Sanwo-Olu’s boss was a contestant? To what end would that be?”
He alleged that the accusations were part of a broader political scheme, stating: “This is a hatchet job aimed at providing justification to jettison Governor Sanwo-Olu, who appears to have fallen out of favour with the “Bourdillon Cult”.
Atiku’s camp further claimed that the strategy against the current Lagos State governor was twofold: “First, to get rid of Sanwo-Olu, and second, to discredit the coalition being put together by opposition political leaders, of which Atiku Abubakar is a key stakeholder.”
It would be recalled that about a week ago, the former vice president announced the formation of a coalition aimed at unseating Tinubu in 2027.
The statement also challenged the EFCC to disclose the findings of its investigation.
“Since the EFCC has been dragged into the arena of politics and propaganda, we challenge the anti-corruption agency to make public the outcome of its alleged investigation. It is not just the president who is entitled to that information, but the general Nigerian public, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s presidential flag bearer in the 2023 election, Peter Obi.”
The statement concluded with a demand for an end to what it called a smear campaign against Atiku: “This voyage of misadventure and campaign of calumny against the person and reputation of Atiku Abubakar must be halted immediately.”
Achimugu who is the managing director and chief executive officer of Felak Concept Group, a company specialising in civil, structural, and transportation engineering, fled the country after failing to honour EFCC’s invitation.
Over the years, her company has expanded its services to include consultancy and transaction advisory services, maritime operations, and environmental waste management, serving both private and public sector clients.
As the leader of the group, Achimugu oversees multiple subsidiaries and plays a key role in major infrastructure projects. She is notably the first female consultant and transaction advisor for the development of a Deep-Sea Port in South-South Nigeria, a project handled through Felak Concept Limited.
Achimugu who was married to Sulaiman Achimugu, a former Managing Director of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), which used to be a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation made headlines last year when she hosted a lavish 50th birthday celebration in Grenada. The event was attended by Sanwo-Olu and other dignitaries. The event fueled speculation about a close relationship between her and the governor.
