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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has challenged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to substantiate allegations linking him to alleged wrongdoing in the controversial $16 billion power sector expenditure.
Atiku said he should be investigated and prosecuted if the government possesses credible evidence against him, insisting that political accusations cannot replace proof.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former Vice President accused the Tinubu administration and its supporters of reviving old allegations to divert attention from questions surrounding the management of government revenues following the removal of petrol subsidy.
Atiku said the National Assembly had previously investigated the power projects but that he was never invited to respond to allegations of misconduct.
“The National Assembly investigated the power projects. I was never invited to answer any allegation of wrongdoing,” he said.
He acknowledged that he chaired the National Council on Privatisation while serving as Vice President but explained that the implementation of the power project was handled by the relevant minister.
“The responsible minister did. The same applies to the Aluminium Smelter matter,” Atiku added.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election said he had repeatedly made himself available for investigation since leaving office in 2007.
“I have repeatedly asked to be investigated. I left office in 2007 and have spent much of the period since then opposing governments in power. If there is evidence that I stole public money, why has no government produced it before a court?” he asked.
Atiku challenged the authorities to reopen the matter if they believed there was a genuine case against him.
“It is still not too late. Investigate me. Invite me. Produce the evidence. Prosecute me if you have a case. But propaganda cannot substitute for evidence,” he said.
The former Vice President linked the renewed allegations to his criticism of the Federal Government’s handling of the economic consequences of petrol subsidy removal.
He argued that Nigerians had been promised that eliminating the subsidy would free funds for development, but said citizens had instead faced higher costs of transportation, food and other essentials.
“Today, petrol is more expensive, transportation is more expensive, food is more expensive and the purchasing power of the Nigerian worker has been devastated,” he said.
Atiku also questioned how additional government revenues were being deployed, alleging that tax incentives, waivers, credits and other concessions continued to benefit powerful economic interests.
“So our question remains brutally simple: where is the people’s money?” he asked.
He accused the government of applying different standards by withdrawing economic relief from ordinary Nigerians while maintaining interventions he said benefited major corporate interests.
Atiku further dismissed attacks against him on social media, saying they would not prevent him from demanding transparency over public finances.
“The people who removed subsidy from the poor cannot frighten us into silence by resurrecting allegations that governments with all the investigative machinery of the Nigerian state have had nearly two decades to establish,” he said.
He challenged the government to either substantiate the allegations or address questions over the use of funds generated after subsidy removal.
“If you have evidence against Atiku, bring it. If you have a case, prosecute it. But if you have neither, stop manufacturing distractions and answer Nigerians: You removed the subsidy. You collected the savings. Where is the money?” he asked.
