May 02, (THEWILL) – Former commissioner of Information in Edo State and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Prince Kassim Afegbua, has urged the United States Government to extradite PDP presidential aspirant and former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to face charges on an alleged corruption.
Afegbua, who called on the US Government to take expedite action on this matter in the interest of rule of law, justice and transparency, said he has received threats to his life since he started opposing Atiku’s presidential aspiration.
The former commissioner, who worked for Atiku in 2019, has since become a major critic of his 2023 bid for the office.
Afegbua, in a statement dared Atiku to visit the US to resolve his lingering corruption allegations, which have led Senator Jefferson to jail, rather than seek election under the umbrella of the PDP in 2023.
The Edo PDP chieftain said the outcome of an investigation against Atiku and his “former” wife, Jennifer, revealed a lot of underhand transactions bordering on money laundering and other financial malfeasance.
“The onerous thing to do was for him to visit the United States of America to answer to those weighty allegations which were the outcome of the comprehensive investigations carried out by the United States Congress”, he said.
Afegbua added that during the 2019 presidential campaigns, several news reports and compelling demands were made on Atiku, as PDP candidate, to visit America over the matter, he was reportedly granted waiver by the US Consular office in Lagos to enable him visit the US with the then Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki.
He added that after that visit, Atiku has not been able to visit America again “ostensibly on the stretch of those weighty allegations which have not been dispensed with.
“The entire report of the US Congress copiously indicted Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on issues concerning money laundering. It will make judicious sense if the United States Government is able to treat this pending matter once and for all, by way of extraditing the former Vice President to answer those lingering queries on financial impropriety.”
Afegbua, who challenged the US government to help Nigeria’s democracy with regards to openness in government, said “As an alumnus of the Les Aspin School of Government and Good Governance, Washington DC, who was exposed to the rudiments of anti-corruption studies in 2004 and sponsored by the United States Government, I feel patriotically disturbed that those who should be cooling off in jail, are still walking the streets as free men and even trying to run for the highest office in the land.
“The report of the United States Congress on the investigation are too damning to be ignored, if we truly want to sustain the ethics of a transparent leadership and positive governance. I am therefore calling on the United States Government to commence the process of inviting Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to the United States to face those charges without further delay. I am aware of the threats to my life over my strong position against the aspiration of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and other northern aspirants, who are running against the run of play.
“I am therefore, using this opportunity to plead that the United States Government takes expedite action on this matter in the interest of rule of law, justice and transparency. The United States of America should please take deliberate steps to help Nigeria grow her anti-corruption initiative, deepen her democracy and provide the opportunity for a robust economy that will benefit majority and not a select and privileged few. It will help consolidate both private and public sector effort at reducing the incidents of corruption and financial malfeasance.
“The earlier Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is made to face the full wrath of the law, the better for our anti-corruption crusade, and the best for our fledgling democracy”, he said.
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