CONTRARY to a statement credited to former President Olusegun Obasanjo that his deputy between 1999 and 2007, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, cannot enter the United States (U.S.) because of corruption charges, the latter has cleared his name, saying he just renewed his U.S. visa.
Obasanjo, had in an interview with an in-house magazine of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), ‘Zero Tolerance’, said that Atiku risked being arrested if he enters the U.S. because of corruption allegations levelled against him.
But the former Vice President said on Wednesday that his former boss lied. In fact, he just renewed his U.S. visa.
A statement signed on his behalf by his media aide, Alhaji Garba Shehu, reads: “The former President is wrong. It is widely known that Atiku didn’t enter government broke. He declared his assets at the commencement of his Vice Presidency and did so at the end of his term as required by the constitution, which is a sacred document to Atiku.
“Atiku, who is currently returning from China after leading a private economic trade mission at the invitation of the Chinese government, travels often and has a well-documented record of building industries and putting thousands of Nigerians to work. And this record, quite frankly, has been thoroughly investigated.
“Obasanjo’s repeated ‘jokes’ about Turaki not being able to go to America have become cliché, tiresome and not true.
“In 2006, former President Obasanjo sent his National Security Adviser (NSA) to stop Alhaji Atiku from travelling to the U.S., that the Vice President risked arrest on arrival. He spurned that advice, left Nigeria to land at the Andrews Air Force Base, the official airport of the U.S. government, to receive the best reception ever on a visit to America. So, we are used to those taunts.
“When the former Vice President left office shortly before late Musa Yar’Adua was inaugurated as President, he spent three months in the U.S. If they (U.S. authorities) wanted him for anything, they would have met him. It is time to start dealing in facts. Specifically, the fact that Atiku’s visa to visit the United States has been recently renewed.
“Another fact is Atiku is one of the most investigated politicians in Nigerian history. And every investigation, whether politically motivated here at home or by the FBI abroad, has yielded the same result every time: not guilty.
“If Atiku is guilty of anything, it is crushing persistent attempts at re-writing our constitution.
“Atiku has chosen the path of optimism and hope. Moving forward, he will continue working to fuel Nigeria’s economy through investment and job creation, while also passionately and persistently defending our young democracy.”
