‘Atikugate’: Treat Me With Respect Or Forget Testimony Against Ex-VP — Whistleblower Tells CCB

Michael Achimugu, a former media aide to Atiku Abubakar who has leveled a series of weighty allegations against the former vice president, says he’s prepared to testify against his former boss before the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) provided that the right thing was done.

Achimugu reacted to the CCB’s invitation of lawyer, Festus Keyamo, over his petition to the bureau seeking the probe of Atiku for alleged diversion of public funds through “special purpose vehicles” while he was vice-president between 1999 and 2007.

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The CCB had asked Keyamo, who doubles as labour minister and spokesperson for the president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to come along with “one Michael Achimugu” whose allegations were referenced in Keyamo’s petition against Atiku.

Atiku was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25, 2023 presidential election.

In a letter signed by its director in charge of investigations, Gwimi S.P, the CCB asked Keyamo to appear before it on April 21, 2023 to adopt his petition requesting the Bureau to “arrest, invite, interrogate and prosecute” Atiku for the alleged offences.

But reacting on Friday, Achimugu said it was condescending for the CCB to address him as “one Michael Achimugu” as if he was a nobody.

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Atiku-Abubakar-and-Michael-Achimugu-
L-R: Atiku Abubakar and Michael Achimugu

He further faulted the Bureau for asking Keyamo to bring him along on the day fixed for adoption of the petition, saying he’s “nobody’s toy”.

According to Achimugu, unless a letter is properly addressed to him requesting his presence at the office of the CCB, he would not honour any invitation.

“I must appreciate the Bureau for seizing initiative to commence investigations into this case despite the elite status of the former vice-president. The CCB is one of the agencies in Nigeria with an admirable history of trying to do their job as meticulously as possible, and countless great names have honoured their invitations over the years,” he wrote in a tweet on Friday.

“But I must state my issues with the letter, which has been circulated widely on social media.

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“1. I am not in Mr. Keyamo’s custody and, as such, he can’t be asked to “come along with…..” me. I am neither his employee nor his relative, and we have never lived together.

“2. The letter refers to me as “one Michael Achimugu.” I am an individual whose existence is verifiable, and given that I am the whistle-blower in this matter, I should not be addressed as “one Michael Achimugu.” I find it condescending.

“3. If the CCB needs my presence and testimony in this matter, I expect to receive a letter of invitation addressed to me, not the rather weird document circulating the internet.

“4. I am not one to allow people to decide what my self-worth should be. That decision is solely mine, and I have never abdicated it to anyone else. It will not start today with the Code of Conduct Bureau. I will not honour an invitation that is not mine. I am nobody’s toy to bring along.

“5. It is my hope that institutions will treat all citizens with the courtesy we all deserve. I have served as Media Consultant/Aide to more than one presidential candidate in this country, and I have excelled. I am a citizen of Nigeria and a leader of teams of young and old compatriots who have gone on to add value to society. I have received letters of recommendation for my work. I am Michael Achimugu, not “one Michael Achimugu.”

“7. As a whistle-blower, my security must be guaranteed before I attend to any invitations. Since my revelations, my family and I have been threatened both here on Twitter and offline. Thugs have been to my abode, and some of my friends have been harassed. I am being tracked electronically, and I know that they are not tracking me to give me a hug.

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“8. I will be glad to offer any assistance required by relevant agencies in ensuring that this case comes to an equitable and transparent conclusion and that the best interest of Nigerians, be it as individuals or the collective, be well-served.”

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