Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has called on the Presidency to reveal the identities of officials allegedly linked to the fake Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) scandal.
Atiku made the demand while reacting to the interim report released by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), arguing that the findings raised more questions than answers.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former Vice President said the report could not be presented as a complete exoneration of the Presidency when it allegedly acknowledged negligence and possible connivance within government processes.
According to Atiku, the ICPC report indicated that a suspect allegedly forged a presidential appointment letter, created a fake federal agency, took over facilities linked to the former Presidential Economic Advisory Council, opened bank accounts using forged documents and established two additional fictitious government agencies.
He questioned how such activities could have continued without the involvement or negligence of public officials.
“If there was connivance, who connived? If public officers were negligent, who are they? Who granted access to government offices? Who recognised this supposed Director-General?” Atiku asked.
The former Vice President argued that the report’s recommendation for sanctions against public officials whose negligence allegedly enabled the fraud shows that the incident could not have been carried out by one individual alone.
According to him, government institutions, official documents and bank accounts could not have been accessed without the involvement of other persons.
Atiku therefore urged the Presidency to publicly identify every official allegedly connected to the scandal and explain the role each person played.
He also maintained that the ongoing investigation means the interim report should not be treated as the final position on the matter.
The ADC presidential candidate further called on the National Assembly to conduct a public hearing into the alleged fraud.
He said the hearing should be broadcast live to allow Nigerians watch witnesses testify and hear the evidence presented under oath.
According to Atiku, the demand became more important after the principal suspect, Adeniyi Adeyemi, reportedly expressed willingness to appear before lawmakers to defend himself publicly.
He insisted that a transparent investigation would help clear doubts surrounding the case and strengthen public confidence in the process.
Atiku also demanded the release of the full ICPC report and the publication of the identities of all public officials found culpable, insisting that transparency should extend to everyone involved, regardless of their position.
According to him, only an open and independent investigation can address public concerns and determine whether any politically exposed persons or government officials played a role in the alleged fraud.
