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Fighting for his political life, embattled Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has instructed seven Senior Advocates of Nigeria, (SANs) to challenge the recommendations of an adhoc government panel which indicted him for abuse of office.
Fighting for his political life, embattled Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has instructed seven Senior Advocates of Nigeria, (SANs) to challenge the recommendations of an adhoc government panel which indicted him for abuse of office.
According to Atiku's media consultant, Mallam Garba Shehu, the vice president resorted to go to court, the only way he believed he would clear himself.
Daily Sun gathered that Atiku's lawyers, who met with him on Sunday, believe that the so-called indictment cannot stand the scrutiny of the judicial process. They said that for any "administrative panel" to have the power to indict, as envisaged by the constitution, it must follow the guidelines laid by the Tribunal Act.
"Anybody can accuse someone of embezzlement and fraud. This charge is no more significant than one that could have been made by the Lagos Butchers Association," said a member of the legal team. Another lawyer in the team observed: "It is like a husband and wife recruiting their children into a panel to try a neighbour of theirs. It is that ridiculous and laughable.
The important thing is that such charge must be proved in law," quering: "How can there be embezzlement when there is no money lost? If you have to prove fraud in general, you must show that the accused person gained a material benefit. No where in the report is the vice president shown to have made a material gain."
Besides, the lawyer smells double standard, mischief and insincerity, noting that "when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), investigated the affairs of the Nigerian Ports Authority and reported to the Federal Executive Council, the president did not see reason to set up an administrative panel when billions of tax payers' money was reportedly lost. Yet, it is curious that in this particular case of the PTDF where no money was lost, the president went ahead to set up a kangaroo panel.
In a statement, Shehu said: "Again, the president said that he had set up this panel of investigation following complaints by the U.S Congressman Williams Jefferson. The sense that is left in many minds is that there is a certain kind of desperation on the part of the president to stop Atiku from the 2007 presidential elections.
The truth of the Jefferson matter is that this is a man who collected $6.5 million from Otunba Fasawe, the Nigerian promoter of NDTV and failed to supply him the technology paid for, and could only refund $1.7 million up till this moment. Does this not leave Nigerians with questions as to whose interest is their president serving?
Anyway, the new claim of a PTDF investigation, at the instance of Jefferson, conflicts tragically with the earlier claim in the president's letter to the Senate in which he claimed the investigation of the PTDF accounts was at the instance of an FBI request. Is Mr. President deceiving the Senate and Nigerians? The question then is: Why is he so afraid of Atiku?
"It is a moot point that the people of Nigeria have a right to choose who is to be their next president and no old-fashioned overlordship can take away this fundamental right.
"Again, we restate that this sacred power lies with the Nigerian people who constitute the electorate that have the right to determine who governs them. This inalienable right cannot be appropriated by any individual or group of people. Nigeria remains a country governed by law.
"The vice president believes that what he is going through is a necessary part of his preparation for leadership. His spirit is high, he is not losing his sleep. To get to the mountaintop, you must climb the mountain. To be a leader, the vice president believes that he must climb the mountain. The current president too has had to mount this metaphorical mountain," the statement said.