The Buhari Campaign Organisation (BCO) has threatened to drag the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to court if within seven days they fail to provide proof of allegations that members of President Muhammadu Buhari’s family own substantial shares in Etisalat Nigeria and Keystone Bank.
Atiku had in a statement issued in Abuja last week by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, claimed he got reports from impeccable sources that the first family now plays big in the nation’s financial sector after acquiring mouthwatering shares in Keystone Bank with total assets of $1.916 billion (equivalent to N307.5 billion) as well as purchasing about 3 billion worth of shares in the new Pakistani Islamic Bank.
Reacting to the allegations, the BCO in a statement signed by its Director of Communications and Strategic Planning, Mallam Gidado Ibrahim, said beyond mere politicking, the allegations made by Atiku and his party are too weighty to be ignored or considered as electioneering gimmicks.
Relying on the provisions of the law, the president’s support group maintained that the ball is in Atiku’s court to provide evidence on allegations of sleaze against Buhari and his family because the burden of proof always lies with the person who lays charges.
Ibrahim said, “The BCO has been taking note of the smear campaign mounted against President Muhammadu Buhari by the PDP and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in which he accused the first family of owning shares in Keystone Bank with total assets of $1.916 billion (equivalent to N307.5 billion) and Etisalat Nigeria, as well as purchasing about 3 billion worth of shares in the new Pakistani Islamic Bank.
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“These are very weighty allegations and we are not saying the former vice president and his party have no right to blow the whistle, especially under an administration with a whistle blowing policy in place. But following the provisions of the law, the burden of proof (onu probandi) is always on the person who brings a claim or alleges.
“We therefore urge Atiku and his party, PDP, to show proof that the president and his family own shares in these compaines. At least with such evidence, they would have done great service to Nigerians by exposing corruption. But if they fail to do so within seven days, the BCO will be left with no other option than to drag them to court on behalf of President Buhari where they will be compelled by the law to provide evidence or pay for damages”.
Reiterating its stance that the opposition should engage in issue based campaigns rather than resorting to hate speeches and campaign of calumny against the president, the BCO said it shows the PDP and its standard bearer are at a loss and have nothing to offer Nigerians.
Ibrahim continued: “Atiku is certainly feeling the heat of facing reality and has resorted to the principle of ‘attack is best form of defence’. There is no hiding place for him. Those who misgoverned the country in the past should be shamed rather than rewarded. That is the only way Nigeria can move forward.
“No amount of unfounded allegations against President Muhammadu Buhari can stop Nigerians from voting a leader they have come to trust and believe in for these past years. We will however refrain from making further comment on this issue since it is going to be a subject of litigation, but if Atiku and his party think this will end on the pages of newspaper, they should prepare to meet us in court if they cannot prove their allegations”.
