ABUJA
A former Senator from Kogi West, Dino Melaye, has warned the Federal Government over a plot to arrest or interrogate the presidential candidate African Democratic Congress, ADC, and former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, over a corruption petition currently before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Melaye, in a video posted on his X account on Friday, warned that any attempt to use the petition to target Atiku would trigger mobilisation by the ADC and its supporters.
He said the warning was necessary to remind the government that political power ultimately belongs to the people, insisting that those in government represented only a fraction of Nigeria’s population.
Melaye said, “This is our note of warning, if due to this frivolous petitions you invite, arrest, or interview Atiku Abubakar… we will prove to you that those in government are less than one percent of the population of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We will prove to you that the people own government.”
His comments followed a petition filed before the EFCC by former member of the House of Representatives, Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, calling on the commission to reopen corruption allegations involving Atiku from his period as Vice-President.
The petition, signed by Agbonayinma’s lawyer, Hannibal Uwaifo, SAN, reportedly cited an earlier EFCC investigation and report on allegations against the former Vice-President.
The allegations, which date to 2005 and 2006, centred on alleged abuse of office, money laundering and diversion of funds connected with the Petroleum Technology Development Fund, PTDF.
Atiku, who was Vice-President during the period in question, denied the allegations and dismissed them as politically motivated.
In a related development at the time, the Lagos State High Court, on December 20, 2006, nullified the EFCC’s administrative indictment of Atiku, ruling that it was unconstitutional and flawed.
The allegations against the former Vice-President did not culminate in a criminal conviction.
