Group Warns Opposition against Labelling Atiku as Corrupt
National Coordinator of Atiku For Better Nigeria (AFBN), Benita Dike-Israel, has lashed out at some opposition groups who are in the habit of labelling former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar as a corrupt politician, warning them to desist from such misconception.
Dike-Israel who leads a group of legal advocates and other professionals, made the assertion in a statement in Abuja.
She reiterated that no one has the right to brazenly accuse another of guilt over a crime he or she hasn’t been convicted of.
She therefore called on opposition groups whose sole campaign mantra is “Atiku is Corrupt” to desist from such unsubstantiated gibberish, targeted at maligning the hard earned reputation of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate and focus on pertinent issues of national importance that will enhance the quality of the discourse towards the forthcoming elections geared at producing leadership that will assuage the hardship in the land.
She stressed further that Atiku has repeatedly at different public fora, debunked any involvement in corrupt practices as a public officer, and that the records are clearly there for all to see.
She made particular reference to Atiku’s consultations with stakeholders in Rivers and Bayelsa States in the run-off to the PDP presidential primary elections, at which the PDP candidate unequivocally declared in response to the misinformation making the rounds that he never at any time stole public funds while serving as a public officer, that on the contrary his outstanding success in business was rooted in his private sector initiatives.
Continuing, Dike-Israel stated that Atiku was already successful in business before going into partisan politics and subsequently becoming the Vice President of Nigeria by the grace of God, stressing that his motivation for coming into government was not to make money but to contribute his humble quota to the overall development of his fatherland.
Dike-Israel equally added her voice to the PDP presidential candidate’s open challenge to anyone that has evidence linking the use of public funds for the establishment or running of any of his businesses which has been providing jobs for thousands of Nigerians, including the famous American University of Nigeria (AUN) to come forward with such proof or evidence.