Atiku to Tinubu: Release Your FBI Files, I Have Nothing to Hide

Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has challenged President Bola Tinubu to make his records available for public scrutiny, saying Nigerians deserve transparency from both sides.

Atiku’s position was contained in a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, following the renewed circulation of allegations dating back to the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The former vice president described the development as a political distraction, accusing supporters of the Tinubu administration of reviving old controversies because they could no longer defend the government’s economic record.

“At some point, desperation announces itself,” Atiku said, arguing that Nigerians are more concerned about the rising cost of food, transportation, electricity, rent, education, healthcare and insecurity than decades-old political disputes.

Atiku maintained that the allegations against him had previously been subjected to investigations by the EFCC, an administrative panel, the National Assembly and the courts during his political disagreement with the Obasanjo administration.

He stressed that none of the allegations resulted in a conviction, insisting that anyone with fresh and credible evidence should present it and allow the law to take its course.

Advertisement

“A petition is not a conviction, an acknowledgement stamp is not evidence of guilt, and repetition cannot magically become a judgment of court,” he said.

Atiku also questioned what new evidence had emerged to warrant the revival of the allegations nearly two decades later.

Turning his attention to Tinubu, the ADC presidential candidate referenced the President’s intervention in a United States court case concerning requests for FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) records relating to him.

Atiku argued that Tinubu should also be willing to subject his own records to scrutiny if he expects the same from political opponents.

He compared the situation to “a man ordering his neighbour to empty his pockets while keeping his own firmly zipped.”

The former vice president further warned against using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as an instrument of political battles, stressing that the agency belongs to Nigeria and should not serve the interests of any individual or political party.

Advertisement

Atiku said the exchange of old allegations would not solve the economic challenges facing Nigerians, insisting that the 2027 presidential election would ultimately be decided by the records and performance of the contestants.

“The old script did not stop me then, and it will not stop me now,” he said, adding that Nigerians would judge politicians based on the lives they are living and the future being offered to them.