Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has challenged a fresh petition asking the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to reopen allegations of financial crimes against him, saying anyone with credible evidence should present it for legal scrutiny.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said the allegations had already been examined by several state institutions during his tenure as vice-president under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
His reaction followed a petition by Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, a former member of the House of Representatives, asking the EFCC to reopen its investigation into allegations involving Atiku between 2005 and 2006.
Agbonayinma, through his lawyer, Hannibal Uwaifo of Sagitarian Law Firm, gave the commission 14 days to act on the request. The letter, dated August 27 and received by the EFCC on September 1, referred to an earlier EFCC investigation and report concerning allegations of financial misconduct, money laundering and other offences.
In a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the allegations were examined by the EFCC, an administrative panel, the National Assembly and the courts.
He said the investigations took place amid his political disagreement with Obasanjo and argued that the state had ample opportunity to establish wrongdoing if evidence existed.
“Yet no court convicted me on these allegations. That is the record,” Atiku said.
He questioned whether the new petition was based on evidence that had not been available during the original investigations nearly two decades ago.
“So what exactly has been discovered in 2026 that Nigeria did not hear twenty years ago? 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 challenged anyone with credible evidence against him to bring it forward and allow the law to take its course.
“Anyone with credible evidence against me should bring it out and test it before the law,” he said.
The former vice-president also linked the renewed allegations to his demand for the release of records relating to President Bola Tinubu’s civil forfeiture case in the United States.
Atiku criticised Tinubu over his reported intervention in a US court case concerning access to records sought from the FBI and DEA, arguing that those demanding scrutiny of others should also be open to scrutiny themselves.
He called for all lawful records to be made available and every allegation to be tested through due process.
Atiku also warned against using anti-corruption agencies for political purposes, saying the EFCC should investigate wrongdoing regardless of the political status of those involved.
“The EFCC belongs to Nigeria, not to any government, party or candidate,” he said.
He argued that revisiting old allegations would not address the economic difficulties facing Nigerians, including rising food prices, transportation costs, reduced purchasing power and pressure on businesses and households.
“You cannot feed a hungry family with an EFCC petition. You cannot restore purchasing power with recycled allegations, and you cannot make life affordable by shouting Atiku whenever Nigerians demand answers,” he said.
Atiku said the latest petition would not deter him from his political activities, adding that Nigerians would judge the presidential candidates by their records ahead of the 2027 election.
