Atiku Abubakar, presidential
candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), paid $30,000 to Fein &
DelValle PLLC, a US firm.
The PDP presidential candidate
sought the services of the company in his bid to unseat President Muhammadu
Buhari.
The Centre for Responsive
Politics (CRP) had reported how Atiku hired Bruce Fein, a former official of
the US justice department, and his firm Fein & DelValle PLLC, in March.
In its terms and conditions for
representation, Fein & DelValle PLLC had said it would establish and
operate a situation room located in its capitol hill offices in the US and
enlist the services of Lloyd Ukwu, a Nigerian barrister and trusted confidant
of Atiku, to assist in the operation of the situation room.
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One of the exchanges between the
US firm and Atiku
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The firm also proposed to execute strategies to secure the US endorsement of Atiku’s efforts to defeat what it called “flagrant violence and irregularities orchestrated” by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Buhari to compromise the presidential election.
Twenty-four hours after the
report was published, Atiku denied
paying money to US consultants in his bid to dislodge Buhari, his main
rival in the February 23 election.
In a statement issued on his
behalf by Paul Ibe, his media aide, the former vice-president, described the
reports that he paid $30,000 as “a total fabrication”.
He blamed it on the APC which he
said had resorted to using “fake news to divert public attention from the
historic electoral heist they have committed against Nigerians”.
“Former Vice President of
Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar dismisses as total fabrication the latest allegation
instigated by the Buhari campaign that he spent $30,000 to hire a US lobby group
to persuade the US Congress to stop the inauguration of President Buhari,” the
statement read.
“The APC are behaving nervously
like a thief living under the fear of being exposed and shamed. No amount of
diversionary propaganda and fake news campaign by APC will stop Atiku Abubakar
from continuing the court action he started to reclaim the stolen mandate.”
But documents seen showed that Atiku paid the money to the firm two days after signing a 90-day
contract (April 1,2019, to July 1, 2019). He signed the contract on March 24
and paid the money on March 26.
The amount was budgeted for costs
and expenses for the 90-day period. In addition, the agreement was for Atiku to
separately pay all pre-approved international travels, business class.
According to a document received
by the United States’ department of justice foreign agents’ registration act
(FARA), with registration number 6654, on April 2, Fein & DelValle, PLLC,
registered as a foreign agent for Atiku and the PDP on March 20.
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The registration statement which
confirmed that Atiku paid $30,000 to Fein & DelValle PLLC
|
FARA is a disclosure statute that
requires persons acting as agents of foreign principals in a political or
quasi-political capacity to make periodic public disclosure of their
relationship with the foreign principal, as well as activities, receipts and
disbursements in support of those activities.
The firm said it received $30,000
from Atiku on March 26, which was confirmed in item 9(a) under the financial
information clause of the registration statement.
In item 9(b), the firm made it
clear that it did not receive any other thing of value other than money from
Atiku.
The lobbyist firm, a registered
and active corporate law firm in the US, stated that the agreement with Atiku
is in a formal written document.
Atiku’s spokesman had not
responded to inquiries as of the time this report was filed.
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Atiku! Atiku! Liar.. ready to sell the country
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