Politics
BREAKING: Sorry, you can’t contest 2023 election, Atiku tells Tinubu
The cumulative effect of the verdict of the Northern District Court of Illinois, in the US causing the forfeiture of the $460,000 belonging to Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, as proceeds of narcotics and money laundering, which are serious crimes in Nigeria, is that he cannot contest the 2023 election, because he is already tainted with the grave consequences.
These were the conclusions of Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as he weighed in on the issue on Thursday, even while the camp of the former Governor of Lagos State, dismissed the matter as a “storm in the teacup, without anything to it.
Just as Tinubu, spoke through Festus Keyamo, the Director General of the All Progressives Presidential Congress Campaign Council (APC-PCC), Atiku, conveyed his position through Danie Bwala, spokesman of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council (PDP-PCC).
Emphasising, while appearing on Politics Today, a Channels Television current affairs programme, Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), had asserted on Wednesday, that the $460,000 which Tinubu was made to forfeit to US authorities was tax deductibles that should ordinarily accrue to the government.
His words: “These processes are mere presumptions. They found money in his (Tinubu) accounts and they said he needed to come forward. In that affidavit of Kevin Moss, they said they interviewed Mobil and Mobil said this man is a treasurer in Mobil. Mobil said the funds are not for them.
“They confirmed his status not as a criminal but as a respected employee of Mobil. It is in that affidavit. After all the rigamarole trying to find out whether the accounts where the money came from are linked to drugs, they came to the conclusion that the deposits he made — what these bankers called investments — they said he had not paid tax on these interests. That is all. Look at paragraph 38. They said it is tax. They took what belonged to them. They even begged Tinubu not to return. Just allow us take what belongs to us and go. They were begging him. It was not punishment, it was no indictment, it was just forfeiture.”
“The deposits he made there (in banks) were what bankers call investments. He kept the money there and he was getting interests. They (US government) said he had not paid tax on those interests. That is all and guess what? The banks are supposed to deduct the tax from source.
“Out of the 10 accounts, it was only one account – the one in Heritage Bank – that they took $460,000 as tax on interest that he benefited on the investment he made in those accounts. In fact, all the money in Heritage Bank was not taken; they took only $460,000 as tax.”
But in a quick riposte on Thursday on the same programme, Bwala, though acknowledging that there was actually no conviction, because Tinubu took advantage of a provision in the US laws not to contest the forfeiture, the further implication did not absolve him of the criminal taint.
Disclosing the interest of the PDP in the matter, he said, it was important that people like Keyamo, were not allowed to deceive Nigerians, hence the need for the party to join issues, distill facts and reel out the truth on the issue, adding that many of the perspectives the APC spokesman gave on Wednesday, were false.
First, dismissing the issue of timeliness, he said it did not matter whether the incident took place hundred years ago, they must be raised each time Tinubu put himself out for public office, as Nigerians needed to know the full details of the full background of the man angling to lead them.
Hear him: “If you’re vying for a public office, you must be willing to be scrutinised. The reason is that the man who would be President of Nigeria – that’s why they have security vetting – must be somebody that the nation must have an idea of his life from when he started to where he is today, so that he doesn’t become an object of blackmail or national security threat. So, the fact that it happened after 30 years is a non issue.”
He also dismissed the argument that under statute of limitation, the matter could not be raised in Nigeria because it was handled in a foreign land, saying it held no water, adding that money laundering and dealing with narcotics were criminal offences both in the US and Nigeria, adding that the reason why Tinubu escaped conviction and punishment, was because he co-operated with the prosecutor’s offer that the matter should not go to court under the Non Conviction Based Recovery.
He explained: The way they operate, if they want to prosecute you on a crime that investigation suggests that they are going to spend a lot of money and whatever the crime they’re targeting, they may not be able to get the whole of it before the end of the trial, but because, the idea is to recover as fast as possible the proceeds of crime, they now apply the forfeiture proceedings.
“Forfeiture is a civil proceeding, yes, it is not a criminal proceeding, but the elements argued before the civil courts, are elements of crime. It is just the proceeding that is civil, but the procedure upon which the prosecutor would convince the judge that these assets are proceeds of crime, are criminal elements. Yes, Tinubu was indicted, but was he convicted criminally, the answer is no.
“Under Non Conviction Based Recovery, there are three types of pleas. There is a plea of guilt, there is not guilty and there is no contest. If Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the time had decided to contest it, if it went into trial and the elements were proven, it might lead to his prosecution. What most defendants do in the US is that they don’t want a situation in which they would be further exposed. So, they can afford to let go of the assets. That’s why they enter what they call non-contest. What it means is that I’m not guilty, but I’m also not contesting it, so whatever you see, you carry.
“Nigerians must know, it is the moral issue that the nation is confronted by. Somebody who has not denied, but has in fact, co-operated with the government of the US about the proceeds of crime traceable to his account, with three documents, an affidavit setting out the facts and what the prosecutor was setting out to achieve, a verdict, the finding of court, based on the affidavit, which established a probable cause under the relevant laws that those assets that they were seizing were actually proceeds of crime.
“Once that is done, the judge must say that the defendants must be put on notice. Who are the defendants. If you look at that proof of service, which is another document, you’ll see United States of America as plaintiff and Bola Tinubu as the defendant. The owner of that account and the account are like two Siamese twins. Does account number come to court. The owners of the account come to court and Bola Ahmed Tinubu, did not contest. He in fact co-operated. This is why he cannot separate himself.”
Again, dismissing Keyamo’s further argument that forfeiture did not amount to punishment, he countered by saying that anything that rightly belonged to someone, but being forfeited in that manner, was clear punishment. “Why are you forfeiting it? Because investigation proves a link between you and that item and that that item is linked to narcotics. So, narcotics and money laundering are criminal offences,” he said.
Questioning the issues further, he said, Keyamo, who prided himself as a prosecutor, should have told Nigerians how much Tinubu was earning at the time to have such amount in his account, if it was actually not the proceeds of money laundering and narcotics. “How much was Tinubu earning. How much was his salary. Even if you multiplied it with a number of years, the prosecutor would say, is it enough to have that large sum of money in your account?
“For the Nigerian people, the issue is not just about the source of the money, yes, the source is important, but for the Nigerian people, there is still a cloud about drug-related offences and drug-related activities with somebody who wants to be the number one citizen of the country. I tell you why. This idea of drug and narcotics is a terrible thing all over the world. If somebody has that questionable character as a President, it will embolden people who are into those activities. That is why the person has to come out clean.”
Bwala, also reminded Keyamo, that he had not reversed his conclusion on Tinubu presenting a dubious certificate with which he contested elections as a governor, adding that even though the court dismissed the matter because on technical ground, the APC spokesman, had failed to tell Nigerians that those conclusions he made on the certificate case, were now false.
On the argument that his link to the matter was like a director appearing in a case to defend his company, Keyamo, must be reminded the APC spokesman that Abdulrasheed Bawa, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was convicted by the court and ordered to be sent to prison, not because he actually committed the offence directly, but because he was the alter ego of the anti-graft agency, saying it was in the same manner, Tinubu should take responsibility for the money found in the account.
In all he said: “I’m afraid that the conclusion of this case is that from the eyes of the law, especially if you look at the constitutional provisions beside it, Bola may be disqualified from contesting if that matter goes to court. Narcotics an money laundering, whether in America or in Nigeria, is a criminal offence.”
President Bola Tinubu, on Monday, clapped back at Peter Obi, candidate of the Labour Party (LP), in the 2023 presidential election, for dragging his name into the ongoing crisis within the African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying he has nothing to do with it.
In a state laced with mockery and triumphalism, against the backdrop of the current crisis that has erupted within the folds of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Tinubu, lashed out at Obi for failing to build a strong structure for his political needs.
Tinubu, who conveyed his position through Bayo Onanuga, his spokesman, pointed to a trail of recent political developments in the camp of the former Governor of Anambra State, saying he was no way connected, as being alleged by Obi’s supporters.
Using his X platform, titled: My response to Peter Obi’s media people,” the presidential spokesman wrote that it was wrong for some politicians to make Tinubu a “whipping boy” for political problems they created themselves.
He wrote: “I wonder why all these incompetent politicians are turning President Bola Tinubu into their favourite whipping boy.
“The President has nothing to do with Obi’s abandonment of the Labour Party or the jam he appears to have run into in the ADC.
“After using the Labour Party to vie for the highest office in the country, Obi dumped it in a classic case of use-and-dump.”
Blaming the former governor for to demonstrate leadership in resolving the internal crisis in the Labour Party (LP) and for relying on the support base of the Obidient Movement rather than building a political structure, he accused him of looking for ready-made platforms.
His words: “Instead, he went to the embrace of his IPOB base, the so-called Obidient movement, which is more active online. You would think the man would transform the movement into a political party. But no, he didn’t do any such thing. He is just incapable of building an organic party of his own.
“Because he knows he needs a political structure to realise his doomed dream of winning the presidency, he shopped for a cooked soup to partake in the ensuing party. The peripatetic politician moved to the hijacked ADC, an SPV bought by Atiku Abubakar from Ralph Nwosu.
“No due diligence appeared to have been conducted by the new owners, and thus, the nightmare they are confronting today. What is the connection of Tinubu with the ADC crisis? Absolutely none. Whatever problem they have is self-inflicted.
“Obi and his co-travellers need to get their acts together, clear the mess in their new party, and then compete for the presidential ticket. Let them go and settle with Nafiu Gombe and other disenchanted ADC members.
“As of now, Obi, without being made a candidate, is inconsequential for 2027. The fact that he came third in 2023 does not mean he will have the same showing in 2027, if he ever becomes a candidate of any party. 2023 is not like 2027.
“President Tinubu is an incumbent with many achievements to flaunt, most of which Obi has been blind to acknowledge. First things first. Let the man become a candidate first. All this blackmail against the President is sheer baloney, a very unfair attempt to besmirch his democratic credentials.”
African Democratic Congress (ADC), may have its ranks swollen by gaining its first governor if Bala Mohammed, Governor of Bauchi State, eventually joins the coalition, which is fast gaining momentum as the major challenger of President Bola Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress (APC).
Reports say the governor has indicated his intention to join the now main opposition party on Thursday, weeks after an alleged failed attempt to pitch his tent with the ruling APC over some irreconcilable differences.
The report, which said the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, hinted at the defection on Tuesday while hosting some ADC leaders, including Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), at the government house in Bauchi, pointed to the parlous situation in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where he had earlier held sway as a prominent leader.
Recall that Mohammed was and is still Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, where only himself and Seyi Makinde, his Oyo State counterpart are now remaining after the tsunami that swept away many of their colleagues alongside many other heavy heavyweights in the party.
With the PDP, ostensibly firmly in the vice grip of Nyesom Wike, former Governor of Rivers State, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mohammed and others, who have shown resentment towards the camp, have been left with little option other than quit.
The governor was quoted as saying: “We have found ourselves in a very serious situation. I have done everything possible to ensure reconciliation, but it has not worked.
“We set up committees at both the national and state levels to explore all options, including even the All Progressives Congress, but sadly, we discovered that we are not wanted there.”
Hinting further that ADC appeared to be the acceptable platform for him, Mohammed who stated that he had not concluded discussions, said David Mark, ADC National Chairman, had extended an invitation to him and his supporters to join the party after extensive consultations.
He added: “I’m here this morning with a delegation from the ADC headquarters, where my mentor, my boss, Senator David Mark, is leading, and he has sent an olive branch to reconnect me with the umbilical cord of the opposition, where I have always emerged from.
“Certainly, as a leader in the PDP, we have found ourselves in a very serious ambivalence, where our party is headless. Of course, I have pursued all avenues for reconciliation, but it has not worked.
“Our people are putting me under extreme pressure, and we have set up two committees – one in Abuja at the national level, because of my position as a leader of the party, and one here to look at where to go.
“We left all our options open, including the APC itself, but certainly we have discovered that we cannot be where we are not wanted. We have to find a place within the opposition.
“That is where our fate and political destiny is taking us. And the ADC appears to be a very enduring and more acceptable platform among the people who are engaging with me so far.”
Stating that consultations were still ongoing, and that a final decision would be communicated by Thursday, he maintained that inclusivity remained key to whatever direction is taken.
His words: “We are very conscious of the timeline. Everything will be concluded by Thursday so that we will be on the same page and not exclude ourselves from participation. And so, you will hear a firm commitment from us by Thursday, when we would have met in Abuja. That was why I said I have to carry everybody along.”
The governor, while stressing that due diligence was key before any political realignment is finalised, stated that engagements were ongoing with stakeholders across the PDP at both levels to ensure a smooth transition and avoid missteps.
“For now, I would say this is our preferred destination, but we have not concluded in a way that allows us to deepen stakeholder engagement and collaboration so that we do not make mistakes. That is where we are,” he said while expressing appreciation for the outreach by the ADC, describing it as timely given the PDP internal challenges.
Emphasising that political strength ultimately rested with the electorate and not party structures alone, he added: “We believe in winning elections, and elections are contested and won at the polling unit. We are not afraid of anyone.
“We have done all we can in terms of self-preservation, political accommodation, and participation, but it is not working. Therefore, we must now confront the challenges of this existential option being presented to us by the ADC.”
The much-advertised move to the All Progressives Congress (APC) by Abba Kabir Yusuf, Kano State Governor, gathered momentum on Friday, with the resignation from New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), alongside a swathe of top political figures from the state.
Among those moving out of the party founded on the back of Rabiu Kwankwaso, former governor of the state, reportedly included eight members of the National Assembly, 21 members of the House of Assembly and 44 chairmen of Local Government Areas in the state.
Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, the governor’s spokesman, who conveyed the move said his boss had already sent a letter of resignation to his ward to intimate the Chairman of Diso-Chiranchi Ward of the NNPP in Gwale Local Government Area, with effect from January 23, 2026.
The letter was quoted as saying: “I write with a deep sense of gratitude to formally notify the leadership of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) of my decision to resign my membership of the party,” the Governor stated in the letter. This decision takes effect from Sunday, 25 January 2026.
“In recent times, the party has been confronted with persistent internal challenges arising from leadership disagreements and ongoing legal processes, many of which are presently before the courts for judicial determination.
“The growing disenfranchisement among party members has created deep divisions within the party structure, resulting in cracks that appear increasingly irreconcilable and have generated uncertainty at both state and national levels.
“After careful reflection, and without prejudice to the party’s capacity to resolve its internal challenges, I have come to the conclusion that my resignation is in the best interest of the people of Kano State. This decision is taken in good faith, without any ill will, and with a continued commitment to peace, unity, and the progress of Kano State.
“I remain sincerely appreciative of the opportunity given to me by the party, its leadership, and members across Kano State to be part of its political journey since 2022, as well as the support, goodwill, and cooperation extended to me during my time in the party.”
Kabiru Zubairu, the NNPP Secretary of Diso-Chiranchi Ward, who confirmed receipt of the resignation letter, said: “I wish to concur with His Excellency on the lingering crisis in our party. Though we are trying our best to contain it, we have no option but to accept the resignation of one of the most performing governors produced by the NNPP.”
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