May 6, 2008
Dear SR,
I write to commend the efforts Saharareporters is making in keeping your teeming readers informed of issues impinging on their well being, issues that often got the short shrift in the Nigerian mass media.
I admire your analysis of the issues pertaining to the "loss" of Adamawa state by Vice President Atiku abubakar and his Action Congress in the governorship election that was re-run. But for your expose', many of our citizens would have lost the opportunity of an insight into the real reasons why the simple fact of a gubernatorial election brought the Nigerian presidency, the governors of the
states, The security services and the so-called Independent National Electoral Commission into the biggest conspiracy ever, designed to hold one man, Atiku Abubakar down on the floor.
In effect therefore, you have helped not a small number of Nigerians understand why the fraudulent outcome of the Adamawa election cannot be used to adjudge the electability of Atiku Abubakar and his principles in contemporary Nigerian politics.
What however would have been a sound analysis of the conspiracies that embedded the election was marred by one or two shots you fired in the wrong direction.
It is a mistake for instance to say that Atiku Abubakar had relocated to Dubai. His home and interests in America still remain. Nothing kept him away from America so far this year than the severe winter to which you were subject. Atiku doesn't like the very cold weather. In fact, he does all he can all the time to avoid contracting colds and flu because they make go through a hell of a time.
This meant that he found the warmth of the weather in the United Arab Emirates and, his country Nigeria more likeable to his health.
To suggest that he was something akin to a fugitive from the US justice system as did your analysis was, to say the least erroneous, if not out rightly mischievous. Atiku will be in America during summer as he had done every year. As for the Congressman Jefferson's issue, Atiku has for more than a year put that unfortunate event behind him.
He has been savouring his sweet vindication by the US authorities.
Investigations into the purported bribery scandal involving the American Congressman, William Jefferson had proved that the Congressman lied against the Vice President.
Our investigations in the US by the Washington based law firm of
Weidenfield Law, the Vice President’s U.S. attorney had discovered a long time ago that there is no FBI letter accusing the Vice President of wrongdoing, contrary to repeated claims by Obasanjo's attack dog and EFCC chairman, Nuhu Ribadu. There was of course no deal between the Vice President and Jefferson and the evidence before the U.S. investigators exonerated the former Vice President who, I must emphasise was, and is under no threat of prosecution.
For emphasis, I wish to reiterate that there was never a letter from the United States that had made or is making an accusation against the former Vice President. All those stories were mere fabrications to,as it were, give a dog a bad name in order to hang it.
Readers may also recall that the United States Secretary of State,
Ms Condoleezza Rice had indeed asserted at a point in time that the U.S. government had nothing to do with what was generally perceived as the persecution of Atiku as Vice President of Nigeria.
The search on the house of the former Vice President was sequel to the claim of Congressman Jefferson that he paid $100,000 bribe to Vice President Abubakar. The search on Abubakar’s home did not reveal anything of that sort. About $90,000 of the purported bribe was eventually found hidden in the deep freezer in Congressman Jefferson’s home. It was established that the balance of $10,000 was given out to aides of the American Congressman.
The evidence had therefore exonerated Vice President Abubakar of any wrongdoing.
As for the matter of Wilbross, which bribery allegation you said still dogged Atiku, nothing could be further from the truth. Please do let your readers know that the former Vice President had since been found not to be connected, in any way or manner with the incident.
In his usually prudent way of doing things, Atiku promptly commissioned a private investigator to help unravel the real beneficiaries of the bribe the very moment he got a hint that some faceless officials were bent on using the scandal to tarnish his good name. He got the names of the culprits and passed them onto the Nigerian authorities and the media. The fact that no Nigerian newspaper ran the coded and the not-so-coded names for fear of litigation does not license anyone to to hang the scandal on Atiku's neck.
Further to this, the outcome of the government's investigation into the Willbross scandal that Saharareporters cited is an open secret in Abuja. Atiku's exoneration by the government panel was not a favour done to him by anyone, but a restatement of the sacred facts as they are.
This inaccurate presentation of facts notwithstanding, we will continue to identify with the good work that Sahara Reporters is doing.
Kindly publish this rejoinder giving it the widest circulation as you did the offending piece.
Thanks and take care,
Garba Shehu.
Atiku Campaign Organisation,
61 Ebitu Ukiwe Street,
Jabi,
Abuja Nigeria.
I write to commend the efforts Saharareporters is making in keeping your teeming readers informed of issues impinging on their well being, issues that often got the short shrift in the Nigerian mass media.
I admire your analysis of the issues pertaining to the "loss" of Adamawa state by Vice President Atiku abubakar and his Action Congress in the governorship election that was re-run. But for your expose', many of our citizens would have lost the opportunity of an insight into the real reasons why the simple fact of a gubernatorial election brought the Nigerian presidency, the governors of the
states, The security services and the so-called Independent National Electoral Commission into the biggest conspiracy ever, designed to hold one man, Atiku Abubakar down on the floor.
In effect therefore, you have helped not a small number of Nigerians understand why the fraudulent outcome of the Adamawa election cannot be used to adjudge the electability of Atiku Abubakar and his principles in contemporary Nigerian politics.
What however would have been a sound analysis of the conspiracies that embedded the election was marred by one or two shots you fired in the wrong direction.
It is a mistake for instance to say that Atiku Abubakar had relocated to Dubai. His home and interests in America still remain. Nothing kept him away from America so far this year than the severe winter to which you were subject. Atiku doesn't like the very cold weather. In fact, he does all he can all the time to avoid contracting colds and flu because they make go through a hell of a time.
This meant that he found the warmth of the weather in the United Arab Emirates and, his country Nigeria more likeable to his health.
To suggest that he was something akin to a fugitive from the US justice system as did your analysis was, to say the least erroneous, if not out rightly mischievous. Atiku will be in America during summer as he had done every year. As for the Congressman Jefferson's issue, Atiku has for more than a year put that unfortunate event behind him.
He has been savouring his sweet vindication by the US authorities.
Investigations into the purported bribery scandal involving the American Congressman, William Jefferson had proved that the Congressman lied against the Vice President.
Our investigations in the US by the Washington based law firm of
Weidenfield Law, the Vice President’s U.S. attorney had discovered a long time ago that there is no FBI letter accusing the Vice President of wrongdoing, contrary to repeated claims by Obasanjo's attack dog and EFCC chairman, Nuhu Ribadu. There was of course no deal between the Vice President and Jefferson and the evidence before the U.S. investigators exonerated the former Vice President who, I must emphasise was, and is under no threat of prosecution.
For emphasis, I wish to reiterate that there was never a letter from the United States that had made or is making an accusation against the former Vice President. All those stories were mere fabrications to,as it were, give a dog a bad name in order to hang it.
Readers may also recall that the United States Secretary of State,
Ms Condoleezza Rice had indeed asserted at a point in time that the U.S. government had nothing to do with what was generally perceived as the persecution of Atiku as Vice President of Nigeria.
The search on the house of the former Vice President was sequel to the claim of Congressman Jefferson that he paid $100,000 bribe to Vice President Abubakar. The search on Abubakar’s home did not reveal anything of that sort. About $90,000 of the purported bribe was eventually found hidden in the deep freezer in Congressman Jefferson’s home. It was established that the balance of $10,000 was given out to aides of the American Congressman.
The evidence had therefore exonerated Vice President Abubakar of any wrongdoing.
As for the matter of Wilbross, which bribery allegation you said still dogged Atiku, nothing could be further from the truth. Please do let your readers know that the former Vice President had since been found not to be connected, in any way or manner with the incident.
In his usually prudent way of doing things, Atiku promptly commissioned a private investigator to help unravel the real beneficiaries of the bribe the very moment he got a hint that some faceless officials were bent on using the scandal to tarnish his good name. He got the names of the culprits and passed them onto the Nigerian authorities and the media. The fact that no Nigerian newspaper ran the coded and the not-so-coded names for fear of litigation does not license anyone to to hang the scandal on Atiku's neck.
Further to this, the outcome of the government's investigation into the Willbross scandal that Saharareporters cited is an open secret in Abuja. Atiku's exoneration by the government panel was not a favour done to him by anyone, but a restatement of the sacred facts as they are.
This inaccurate presentation of facts notwithstanding, we will continue to identify with the good work that Sahara Reporters is doing.
Kindly publish this rejoinder giving it the widest circulation as you did the offending piece.
Thanks and take care,
Garba Shehu.
Atiku Campaign Organisation,
61 Ebitu Ukiwe Street,
Jabi,
Abuja Nigeria.
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