Probe Me If You Have Proof" Atiku Challenges Tinubu Government ‎

‎The Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar has dared the federal government to prosecute him if it has evidence linking him to the alleged misappropriation of $16bn in power funds while he was in government.

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‎Atiku accused the government of President Bola Tinubu of recycling old allegations to divert attention from questions over the use of revenues saved from petrol subsidy removal.

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‎ Reports say that the African Democratic Congress, ADC, 2027 presidential candidate gave the challenge in a statement on Wednesday 26th August, issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.

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‎He claimed the government was raising allegations involving expenditures on power-sector projects, privatisation, and public assets to shift public attention from the economic hardship confronting Nigerians.

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‎The former vice-president instead challenged the Tinubu government to explain what the funds gained from the fuel subsidy removal have been used for since 2023.

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‎On the allegations against him, Atiku said they had been repeatedly raised over the years without resulting in any prosecution, despite successive governments having access to the investigative machinery of the state.

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‎The ADC chieftain’s latest challenge comes amid renewed public face-off between him and the federal government over the impact and implications of the fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians.

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‎Atiku had argued that the policy had caused greater distress for the citizens and vowed to reverse it if elected in 2027.

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‎He noted that the controversy over the power projects was being revived because his demand for greater transparency over the proceeds of subsidy removal had become politically uncomfortable for the administration.

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‎However, the government insisted that Atiku’s position is merely based on politics and not reality or the interest of the people.

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‎He further questioned the government’s fiscal priorities, alleging that while ordinary Nigerians were being asked to endure the consequences of subsidy removal, powerful economic interests continued to benefit from fiscal incentives, waivers and concessions.

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‎Atiku, in a Wednesday statement issued by his aide, Phrank Shaibu, said the National Assembly probed the power projects and he was never invited or prosecuted.

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‎The ADC chieftain asked the Tinubu administration to account for revenues from petrol subsidy removal since 2023, blaming the policy for higher petrol price, increased transportation expenses and high cost of living.

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