The Code of Conduct Office (CCB) has initiated action on the petition submitted by the Minister of State for Labor and Employment, Festo Keyamoagainst the former vice president, Atiku Abubakar.
Keyamo, a spokesman for President-elect Bola Tinubu’s campaign council, called in a petition filed in January for an investigation into allegations of corruption made against Atiku by a former aide, Michael Achimugu.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr. Keyamo sent the petition to various anti-corruption agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Commission for Corrupt Practices and other related crimes (ICPC) and the CCB.
Mr. Keyamo, on January 16, gave anti-corruption agencies 72 hours to investigate, arrest and prosecute the PDP presidential candidate.
The CCB, in a letter dated March 28 and signed by its Director of Intelligence, Investigation and Monitoring, Sebastian Gwimi, requested Mr. Keyamo to appear at the office’s office in Abuja to adopt his petition.
Mr. Keyamo is scheduled to appear before the CCB on Friday 21 April.
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“This invitation is to allow you to adopt the aforementioned petition and provide any additional information that may be relevant to this investigation.
“You are requested to come with one Michael Achimugu, to assist with inquiries regarding the files attached to your petition,” the letter states.
SPV accusation
Mr. Achimugu, who claimed to be a former assistant to Atiku, in a series of social media posts, accused Atiku of using special purpose vehicles (SPVs) to commit financial fraud.
Mr. Keyamo, at the end of the expiration of the 72-hour ultimatum, filed a lawsuit with the Abuja Federal High Court seeking an order compelling security agencies to arrest Atiku.
Keyamo, Atiku camp reacts
The minister shared the invitation letter from the CCB and a statement from his law firm, Festus Keyamo Chambers, on the matter via his Twitter timeline on Thursday.
The statement, issued by John Anietor, said Keyamo will bring the case to a logical conclusion, noting that it is not a political stunt.
“The Office has invited our client, Mr. Festus Keyamo, to come forward to adopt his petition and help him secure the presence of the complainant, Mr. Michael Achimugu, to assist in the investigation. See a copy of the letter below.
“Mr. Keyamo assures that the crusade for accountability on this issue was not a campaign stunt, as he promises to follow it to a logical conclusion, even after the victory of the president-elect, ASIWAJU Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said. .
Petition Dead On Arrival: Atiku Campaign Council
Daniel Bwala, the spokesman for the Atiku Campaign, told PREMIUM TIMES that the CCB’s invitation was a formality to allow Keyamo to adopt his petition.
He described the petition as “frivolous,” “dummy” and “dead on arrival.”
He added that Keyamo wrote the petition before the election “for optics and nothing else.”
Atiku was vice president from 1999 to 2007, and is currently challenging the outcome of the February 25 presidential election that resulted in Mr. Tinubu as president-elect.
