Atiku: I didn’t receive campaign funds from Sanwo-Olu for 2023 election

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, has denied receiving campaign funds from Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for the poll.

A report had alleged that Atiku, a former vice president, and the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, received campaign funds from Sanwo-Olu through a proxy.

Reacting via a statement issued on Thursday, March 27, 2025, Atiku’s media office described the report as false, saying the former vice president has never met with Sanwo-Olu.

The statement read: “Let it be known, that this is a blatant lie from the pit of hell; a contrived political hogwash, and a futile campaign of calumny aimed at advancing the political interests of President Bola A. Tinubu.

“It may interest Nigerians to note that the Waziri of Adamawa does not know Gov. Sanwo-Olu and indeed has never met him before.

“This piece of kindergarten propaganda is beneath the camp of Tinubu. How is it possible for an Atiku that does not know and had no connection with Sanwo-Olu to be having a transaction with him involving the exchange of money – let alone during the Presidential election of 2023 in which his boss was a contestant? To what end would that be?

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“We wish to, therefore, state emphatically and for the record that it is a political hatchet job aimed at providing a much-needed justification to jettison Governor Sanwo-Olu, who appears to have fallen out of favour with the ‘Bourdillon Cult’.

“Indeed, their strategy is two-fold: get rid of Sanwo-Olu and to discredit the coalition being put together by the opposition political leaders, of which Atiku Abubakar is a key stakeholder.

“To even underscore how poor the propaganda is, an unnamed Sanwo-Olu’s aide is quoted in the news story trashing his principal and adding fuel to the fire. Pray, who does that?

“Since the EFCC has been dragged into the arena of politics and propaganda, we challenge the anti-corruption agency to make public the outcome of its alleged investigation.

“Finally, it is not just the President that is entitled to that information but the generality of the Nigerian public, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Presidential flag bearer in the 2023 election, Peter Obi.

“This voyage of misadventure and campaign of calumny against the person and reputation of Atiku Abubakar must be halted immediately and with alacrity too.“

The Star