The spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council, Festus Keyamo, has sued the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, over a fresh corruption allegation levelled gainst him.
Keyamo had on 16 January issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the Conduct of Conduct Bureau (CCB), the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to arrest the opposition leader.
In a petition dated 16 January, Keyamo enjoined the anti-graft agencies to arrest the former vice president on offences of money laundering, breach of the code of conduct for public officers, conspiracy, and criminal breach of trust and misappropriation.
Keyamo predicated both his petition and suit on the allegations made by Michael Achimugu, who claimed to be a former aide to the PDP candidate.
Achimugu, in a series of video, accused Atiku of using Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV) to commit financial fraud while serving as the vice-president of the country.
Keyamo stated that Achimugu provided substantial evidence to corroborate his allegations against the PDP candidate and former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
With the expiration of the ultimatum and without any action taken by the anti-corruption agencies by 19 January, Keyamo, on Friday, filed his suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking an order compelling Atiku to surrender himself to EFCC, ICPC, and CCB for thorough investigations.
He also sought an order compelling the agencies to arrest and prosecute Atiku.
The plaintiff, in a writ of summons, is seeking, “A declaration of this honourable court that the 1st defendant is under a legal obligation to make available to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants, for the purpose of aiding their investigation, information available to him in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as a ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st defendant served as vice president of Nigeria.
“A declaration of this honourable court that the 1st defendant is under a legal obligation to submit himself to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants for thorough investigation in connection with information available to him in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as a ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria.
A declaration of this honourable court that the 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants are under a legal obligation to invite and/or arrest, investigate and (if found wanting) prosecute the 1st defendant in respect of information available to the 1st defendant in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as ‘Special Purpose Vehicles. to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria.
“A mandatory order of this honourable court compelling the 1st defendant to make available to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants, for the purpose of aiding their investigation, information available to him in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as a ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria”
“A mandatory order of this honourable court compelling the 1st defendant to submit himself to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants for thorough investigation in connection with information available to him in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as a ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria.
“A mandatory order of this honourable court compelling the 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants to invite and/or arrest, investigate and (if found wanting) prosecute the 1st defendant in respect of information available to the 1st defendant in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria.
“Such further order or other orders that this honourable court may make in the circumstance of this case.”