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Former Kogi West Senator Dino Melaye has warned the Federal Government against inviting, arresting or interrogating African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar over a petition seeking renewed investigation into alleged financial crimes.
Melaye said the ADC and its supporters would mobilise against any attempt to use the petition to target Atiku, insisting that Nigerians were far more numerous than those currently in government.
“This is our note of warning, if due to this frivolous petitions you invite, arrest, or interview Atiku Abubakar, and we are not saying it with fear or favour, we will prove to you that those in government are less than one percent of the population of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We will prove to you that the people own government,” Melaye said in a video shared on his X account on Friday.
His warning followed a petition submitted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by former House of Representatives member Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, asking the agency to reopen allegations against Atiku dating to his tenure as Vice-President.
The petition, filed through lawyer Hannibal Uwaifo, SAN, referred to an earlier EFCC investigation and report on allegations involving Atiku between 2005 and 2006. The request was received by the commission on September 1, according to reports.
The allegations cited in the petition include claims bordering on corruption, money laundering, abuse of office and the alleged diversion of funds linked to the Petroleum Technology Development Fund.
Atiku was Vice-President under former President Olusegun Obasanjo when the earlier investigations were conducted. He denied wrongdoing and has described the renewed calls for an investigation as politically motivated.
The former Vice-President has also said that the allegations were previously subjected to scrutiny by state institutions, including the EFCC, an administrative panel, the National Assembly and the courts, and stressed that he was never convicted over them.
The petition is seeking fresh action by the EFCC nearly two decades after the earlier investigation. It also gave the commission 14 days to act, with the petitioners threatening legal action if the agency failed to respond.
Melaye’s warning adds a political dimension to the renewed controversy, coming as Atiku prepares to contest the 2027 presidential election on the ADC platform.
The allegations contained in the petition remain allegations and have not established criminal liability against Atiku. His position is that any genuine evidence should be subjected to due process, while the EFCC has yet to announce a fresh investigation or prosecution arising from the petition.
