The presidential flagbearers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) - Atiku Abubakar and Bola Tinubu respectively are not only campaigning across the country but have also resorted to digging into each other's personal wealth.
Both politicians, through their spokespersons, criticised each other on separate platforms during the weekend ahead of the 2023 general elections kickstarting with the presidential and National Assembly elections on February 25, 2022.
Atiku's camp insists Tinubu's wealth is shady
Atiku's Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu faulted Tinubu's claims of inherited wealth and trading stocks to amass wealth by making a reference to Warren Buffet, one of the top richest billionaires in the United States during his recent BBC interview.
Shaibu said no company or document of Tinubu's name can be traced to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration, thus further revealing that his wealth is shady.
"To be clear, questions on Tinubu's source of wealth did not start today. US authorities said Tinubu revealed in bank documents that he worked with Mobil Nigeria Limited in 1989 and his salary was just $2,400 and he had no other sources of income," Shaibu said.
"But records from his First Heritage Bank account showed that in 1990 (just within one year), Tinubu deposited $661,000 into his individual money market account and in 1991 deposited $1,216,500 into the same money market account. Where did he get the money from?"
The former Vice President's media aide explained how his principal made his wealth, saying, "On the other hand, Atiku Abubakar's source of wealth has never been in doubt. The ones he has listed publicly include: NICOTES (now Intels) founded in 1989; Prodeco, 1996; Atiku Farms, 1982; and ABTI schools, 1992.
"Some of these companies like INTELS have had reputable Nigerians like the late General Shehu Yar'Adua and even traditional rulers on its board. We dare Tinubu to list his companies and source of wealth as Atiku has done."
About Tinubu, he further said, "Bola Tinubu is a man who publicly boasted in Osun State in 2018 that he was richer than Osun. In 2019, he had bullion vans on his premises in Ikoyi and admitted to sharing money with his supporters.
"When he was challenged by journalists, he said he was not a government contractor. So, what is his source of wealth?
"Why can't Tinubu be brave enough to reveal his source of wealth? For starters, this is a man whose name is not even on the CAC registration documents of any of the companies linked to him."
Tinubu's team says Atiku is using sugar-coated promises
In his own reaction, the Director, Media and Publicity of the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Bayo Onanuga, said the Nigerian people should be warned of sugar-coated promises from Atiku and his political party.
Onanuga, in a statement, said: "We need to warn Nigerians to be wary of the sugar-coated promises of former vice president, Atiku Abubakar and his PDP as they embark on their inordinate and desperate campaign to gain power at all cost.
"Of course, this is fake history at its worst. We are not fooled. Nigerians should also not be fooled about the bare-faced lies, being articulated by the candidate and his party."
He further attacked Atiku's personality drawing notes from former President Olusegun Obasanjo's book, 'My Watch' that the PDP presidential candidate was corrupt and untrustworthy during the administration."
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"What is more shocking is Atiku's audacity in standing up to ask for our votes despite what his boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo wrote about him in his book, 'My Watch'. Obasanjo wrote that it would have been an unpardonable mistake 'and sin against God to foist him on Nigeria.' Obasanjo still believes so till tomorrow.
"Obasanjo still rues till today making Atiku his vice president in 1999, only to discover later, as stated in the former president's book, his (Atiku's) shadowy parentage, his propensity to corruption, his tendency to disloyalty, his inability to say and stick to the truth all the time, a propensity for poor judgment, his belief and reliance on marabouts, his lack of transparency, his trust in money to buy his way out on all issues and his readiness to sacrifice morality, integrity, propriety, truth and national interest for self and selfish interest," Onanuga added.
