The Nigeria Diaspora Network is currently calling for signatures for a petition asking the US to grant Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), entrance to the country so he can face the law.
Abubakar, who was indicted in a
report for money laundering, had said he was yet to visit US because he was
denied visa.
Ahead of the 2019 elections,
however, Gbenga Daniel, director-general of Atiku’s campaign, said the
presidential candidate has been invited for his US visa.
In a petition, addressed to the
Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), the department of justice (DoJ) and the
US senate permanent subcommittee on investigations, the diaspora network wants
the US to grant him visa, so the FBI can put him on their watchlist for
possible arrest and prosecution.
“Currently, Mr Abubakar, who has
also been named in a number of high-profile corruption scandals at home in
Nigeria, is running for the Presidency of the Nigeria. It is disheartening that
at a time Nigeria is elevating the fight against corruption, and seeking the
support and assistance of foreign countries like the United States to tackle
corruption and repatriate looted funds, Mr Abubakar is aspiring to the highest
office in the land,” the petition read.
“Since shortly after that
investigation was published, Mr Abubakar has not visited the United States. We
believe that this is because the United States government has refused to grant
him a visa on account of his role in the corruption scandals highlighted in the
Senate Report. In 2015 he put up his Washington, DC mansion for sale.
“We are now aware that he is
working hard to lobby the United States Government to reverse its decision
regarding his eligibility for a visa. His goal is to make a statement by paying
a visit to the United States and then using that to advance the narrative that
the corruption allegations are unfounded and baseless.
“We are also now aware that he
has hired one of the most important lobbying firms in the United States,
Ballard Partners, to ensure that he is granted a visa to the United States and
is able to visit before the Nigerian presidential elections in February 2019.
“We are asking that the United
States Government expedite action to grant him this visa to enable him face the
justice he has evaded for so long.”
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