Dele Momodu, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has defended former Vice President Atiku Abubakar against corruption allegations, stating that if Atiku were corrupt, he would have been prosecuted by previous Nigerian presidents including Olusegun Obasanjo, Musa Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan, and the current President Bola Tinubu.
Momodu challenged anyone with proof of Atiku’s corrupt practices to present it to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), or the Code of Conduct Tribunal. He made these remarks during an X Space session titled “Avrilsspace: The Electoral Mathematics for 2027” on Monday night.
“There is nothing under the sun that has not been written about Alhaji Atiku Abubakar but I can tell you that they have not been substantiated,” Momodu said.
He pointed out that even during Atiku’s well-known conflict with his former boss, Obasanjo, no legal action was taken against him. “If indeed Atiku was as bad as they claimed, there is no way he would not have been tried at that time by his or thereafter by Yar’Adua or Jonathan or Buhari or even now by Tinubu,” he added.
Momodu described Atiku as a dedicated democrat who does not support thuggery or militancy. He praised Atiku’s leadership during his time as Director of Strategic Communications from 2022 to 2023, calling him a “seasoned administrator” and “a consummate Democrat” who treats everyone equally.
“You will never go to Atiku’s house and find people wailing around, whether they are thugs, militants or anything. He is such a cosmopolitan gentleman and this has often worked against him,” Momodu said.
He reiterated his call for anyone with evidence of wrongdoing by Atiku to come forward and report it to the appropriate authorities.
“For me, if anybody has any evidence of an indictment or the government of Nigeria should take to EFCC, ICPC, or Code of Conduct Tribunal please feel free to tell us,” he concluded.
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