The African Democratic Congress(ADC) Presidential Campaign Council has challenged the All Progressives Congress(APC) to produce any court judgment convicting its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, of corruption.
The challenge followed recent attacks by APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, who questioned Atiku’s record and warned against entrusting the former vice-president with the nation’s treasury.
In a statement, the ADC campaign council’s Director of Strategic Communications, Phrank Shaibu, accused Morka of presenting allegations and controversies as established judicial findings.
Shaibu said Morka could raise questions about Atiku’s record but should provide the relevant court judgment if he was claiming that the former vice-president had been convicted.
He also faulted the APC spokesman’s references to the Mambilla power project arbitration and a 2010 United States Senate report, arguing that the documents cited by Morka did not establish that Atiku had been convicted of corruption.
The ADC spokesman said the Mambilla tribunal raised questions about a $500,000 payment involving Jennifer Douglas, Atiku’s former wife, but did not find that Atiku received a bribe or used his official position to secure the disputed contract.
Shaibu also challenged the APC’s claims about Nigeria’s foreign reserves, saying the Central Bank of Nigeria reported $34.39bn in reserves at the end of May 2023, shortly before President Bola Tinubu assumed office.
He argued that this contradicted claims attributed to Morka that Tinubu inherited about $3bn in reserves before increasing them to more than $54bn.
The ADC campaign council also turned the spotlight on Tinubu, raising questions over a US forfeiture case involving $460,000 from an account associated with the President. The council stressed that the case and its underlying allegations should be distinguished from a criminal conviction.
On Atiku’s proposal for a targeted fuel subsidy, Shaibu said the policy would be tied to petroleum products refined in Nigeria, arguing that the proposal should be debated on its cost and design rather than portrayed as an attempt to access the national treasury.
He also cited Atiku’s record as vice-president, including his role in the National Council on Privatisation and the Universal Basic Education programme.
“Tinubu has governed for more than three years. Nigerians can assess his leadership every time they buy food, pay for transport or settle an electricity bill,” Shaibu said.
The ADC campaign council urged the APC and the Presidency to respond to the issues with documentary evidence, while calling for the lawful release of relevant US records.
The exchange comes as both camps intensify their attacks and defence ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
