Abubakar Atiku Opens Up on the NNPC Crisis

  

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has expressed confidence that President Muhammadu Buhari is taking the allegations contained in a petition signed
by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, seriously.

Atiku said this in a tweet on his twitter handle@atiku, on Saturday. He said the President was elected on a platform of change and anti-corruption, and as such, he would not take such issues lightly.

The former vice president was reacting to a tweet by a tweeter user, Scone light @Lights Scone who tweeted “Sir, how do you see the NNPC/Kachikwu/Baru $25bn contract scam. Please where do (you) stand and your take, because I am trying to make up my mind for 2019.”

In response, Atiku tweeted “President @MBuhari was elected on a platform of change and anti-corruption. I’m sure he takes this very seriously.”

Similarly, a civil society group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, had in response to the scandal urged President Buhari to order a probe and prosecute the NNPC GMD if the allegations of corruption were established against him.

The group equally asked Buhari to suspend the NNPC GMD from office so as to reinforce public confidence in the anti-corruption war.

SERAP made the call in an open letter to the President. SERAP in the letter signed by its Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, urged Buhari to “urgently refer the allegations of corruption and abuse of office against Mr. Baru to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, for investigation, and if there is relevant and sufficient admissible evidence, for him to face prosecution.”

It also urged Buhari to “suspend Mr. Baru pending the referral to the EFCC and ICPC, and the outcome of any investigation by the anti-corruption agencies in order not to create the impression that your government is treating Mr. Baru as a sacred cow.”