
.Temisan Olaifa
The presidency has described former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as a man desperate for attention.
It described the allegation made by Atiku against President Bola Tinubu as unfounded.
He said the allegations by Atiku, claiming to be the subject of an Economic and Financial Crime Commission investigation regarding unsubstantiated financial dealings involving Lagos State, were not true.
“These claims, circulated through his media office, are false and reflect a troubling pattern of relying on social media gossip over substance,” Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President, Information and Strategy, said in a statement on Friday.
Onanuga said, “It is disheartening that a politician of Atiku’s stature would lend credibility to baseless social media speculation to remain politically relevant. Atiku’s allegations are infantile and a transparent ploy to deflect from his political setbacks.
“His repeated attempts to drag the presidency and now the Lagos State government into fabricated controversies reveal a desperate bid for attention amid his fading attempt to cobble a coalition.”
He stated that since his defeat in the 2023 presidential election, the former vice president had failed to rise to the dignified role of an elder statesman.
Onanuga said rather than contributing constructively to the national discourse, he had chosen the path of divisive rhetoric and unfounded accusations.
“We urge Atiku Abubakar to redirect his energy toward initiatives that foster unity, economic progress, and democratic stability – qualities Nigeria urgently needs.
“Lastly, the former vice president should know that the EFCC, as an independent institution, operates within its statutory mandate without external influence.
‘‘Any insinuation otherwise is a disservice to the agency’s professionalism and the rule of law.
“The presidency remains committed to transparency, accountability and the pursuit of national development – priorities that demand our undivided attention,” he said.
Atiku had in a statement from his media office claimed that the Presidency was after him and the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Halt this Tinubu’s Voyage of Misadventure and Campaign of Calumny Against Atiku Abubakar
He said there was no claim in the rumour making the rounds that tha Sanwo-Olu through Ms Aisha Achimugu made available to His Atiku money purportedly belonging to Lagos State.
He claimed that the strategy behind the plot was to get rid of Sanwo-Olu and to discredit the coalition being put together by the opposition political leaders, of which he (Atiku) is a key stakeholder.