2027: Both Tinubu, Atiku carry corruption baggage – Akande

Laolu Akande, a former presidential spokesman, has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar are both weighed down by long-standing corruption allegations, arguing that neither politician can claim the moral high ground ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Akande said attempts by supporters of either camp to weaponise decades-old corruption allegations are unlikely to sway voters because the controversies surrounding both men have been extensively litigated and debated over the years.

“When you put Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Atiku up against each other on the questions around corruption, I don’t think it’s going to be helpful to either of them because both of them have sufficient baggage,” he said.

Akande was reacting to renewed efforts by Atiku’s lobbyists to circulate documents relating to Tinubu’s decades-old U.S. civil forfeiture case, following the opposition’s recent lobbying campaign in Washington ahead of the 2027 election.

He dismissed the move as politically ineffective, insisting that the issue has already been subjected to years of judicial and public scrutiny.

“This attempt by the Atiku camp to circulate copies around the Congress about the drug case involving Tinubu is of no moment.

“Yes, it will generate controversy here at home, but those controversies don’t run deep. The matter has been litigated, re-litigated and interrogated. Can they find something new to talk about?” he asked.

The former presidential aide said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) could equally reopen past allegations involving Atiku if the campaign descends into a battle over corruption claims.

According to him, while the Halliburton bribery scandal is frequently cited against the former vice president, it may not be the strongest line of attack.

“In the Halliburton case, the strongest case was even against President Obasanjo. So, I don’t think that is the worst case they can bring out against Atiku,” Akande said.

Instead, he pointed to the corruption case involving former U.S. Congressman William Jefferson, who was convicted after FBI agents allegedly discovered $90,000 hidden in his freezer.

Akande alleged that Jefferson’s dealings with Atiku could become a more prominent issue as the 2027 presidential race gathers momentum.

“It’s the William Jefferson congressman case. The man said it was Atiku that gave him the money,” he said.

The former presidential spokesman said Nigerians are more likely to evaluate candidates based on their performance in office, policy direction and capacity to address the country’s economic and security challenges than on allegations that have circulated in the public domain for years.

He maintained that unless fresh evidence emerges, revisiting old corruption allegations against either Tinubu or Atiku is unlikely to significantly alter the political dynamics ahead of the 2027 general election.