‘Grant Atiku visa so he can account for his crimes’ — diaspora network writes US

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.”