Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s President, has accused Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of plotting to smuggle in looted funds from outside the country.
The president made this known in a statement signed by Buhari Media Organization (BMO) on Sunday.
Buhari who seeks re-election for a second term in office is the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC).
BMC said it’s intelligence gathering showed the former vice president popularly known as Atiku has made promises to some foreign individuals to apportion a percentage share of some state owned assets to them.
“We have it on good authority that the PDP and its Presidential candidate are making strenuous efforts to bring in public funds stashed abroad including those from recent sales of assets in Angola which were acquired with illicit funds,” the statement jointly signed by Niyi Akinsiju and Cassid Madueke, respective Chairman and Secretary of the BMO said.
“We also know that the former Vice President has made promissory transaction commitments on a number of strategic national assets including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and a percentage holding in the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) to a foreign syndicate.
“All these are out of desperation and as a result of his inability to raise funds from governors elected on PDP platform, many of whom are themselves locked in stiff battles for their seats.
“It is clear to Atiku Abubakar and PDP elements that the President Muhammadu Buhari Administration has put in place a system that has made it difficult for the type of situation in 2015 where former Petroleum Resources Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke could warehouse $115,000,000 (One hundred and fifteen million dollars) which was then shared among party officials to influence electoral officials.
“They also know that even the EFCC is very much on the alert at local airports as seen in the manner its operatives have twice in recent times intercepted undeclared sums of money running into millions of dollars.
“So these opposition elements are now working out a more crooked way of bringing in money through the borders in order to circumvent the system before and during the February 2019 elections,” the statement read.
The group called on security agencies to stay at alert and double their efforts to enforce provisions of the of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 (as amended).
