The presidential campaign council of the Peoples Democratic Party has responded to allegations of money laundering against its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
OduNews had earlier reported that a former aide of the ex-Vice President, Michael Achimugu, made damning allegations of corruption against Atiku.
On January 8th, 2022, the media director for the Atiku Support Organisation, Achimugu, made headlines when he posted a video on his YouTube channel that featured an audio recording that he claimed was of a phone conversation between himself and Atiku.
In the recording, the PDP candidate allegedly confesses to having established companies known as Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV) during his tenure as Vice President of the country.
As a member of Atiku’s Presidential Election Technical Committee and the media director for the Atiku Support Organisation, appointed on September 5, 2021, and September 1, 2021, respectively, Achimugu’s release of the video raised questions about the veracity of the recording and the intention behind its release.
The video featured an audio recording that he claimed was of a phone conversation between himself and Atiku. In the recording, Achimugu alleged that the former Vice President had established SPVs, also known as shell companies, in order to divert funds without leaving a trace.
However, the campaign spokesperson for Atiku, Dino Melaye, dismissed Achimugu’s claims as baseless and accused him of working in conjunction with the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, who resides in Bourdillon.
Melaye stated, “What sort of media aide is he? Where is his appointment letter? Let him tell us one publication he made on behalf of Atiku Abubakar. I don’t talk to these small ‘419 yahoo’ boys. He is only looking for attention after collecting money from Bourdillon. He should get out so we can focus on more serious matters.”
