Atikugate: Atiku Escapes Disqualification As Court Fixes March 7 For Corruption Case

The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has failed in its bid to disqualify Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from the February 25 presidential election as the Federal High Court on Friday fixed March 7 as the day for hearing of corruption case levelled against the former Vice President, instead of the earlier date the APC had sought from the court.

Justice J.K. Omotosho made the ruling on Friday and ordered that in view of the difficulty being experienced to serve Atiku the writ of summons, all court processes be served by dropping and pasting the same on the former Vice President’s premises and offices.

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Recall that arising from allegation of corruption levelled against Atiku by his former media aide, Michael Achimugu, Festus Keyamo, the Chief Spokesman of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign, on behalf of the campaign organization sued the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, to compel them to arrest and prosecute Atiku.

Also sued were the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, and Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB.

All the agencies failed to arrest Atiku following the expiration of the time given by Keyamo prompting the suit.

The litigant later approached the court seeking substituted service as Atiku could not be served due to his involvement in the presidential campaign rally.

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The plaintiff is seeking, “A declaration of this Honourable Court that the 1st Defendant is under a legal obligation to submit himself to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants for a thorough investigation in connection with information available to him in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as a ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria.

“A declaration of this Honourable Court that the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants are under a legal obligation to invite and/or arrest, investigate and (if found wanting) prosecute the 1st Defendant in respect of the information available to the 1st Defendant in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael.

“A declaration of this Honourable Court that the 1st Defendant is under a legal obligation to submit himself to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants for a thorough investigation in connection with information available to him in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as a ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria.

“A declaration of this Honourable Court that the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants are under a legal obligation to invite and/or arrest, investigate and (if found wanting) prosecute the 1st Defendant in respect of the information available to the 1st Defendant in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria.l Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria.”

But attempts to ensure the case was given expeditious hearing to bar Atiku from the coming presidential election failed as preliminary hearing would begin two weeks after the election.

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Atiku had denied any wrongdoing and his camp has maintained that he’s a target of a well calculated blackmail.

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