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In Terms of Corruption, You Cannot Compare Atiku With Tinubu- Najaatu Mohammed
Hajia Najaatu Mohammed, the Deputy National Chairman (North West) of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has come to the defence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar amid fresh corruption allegations.
Speaking in an interview published by The Sun Nigeria on Sunday, July 26, 2026, Najaatu argued that any assessment of Atiku's record must take into account the constitutional limits of the office he held.
She noted that a Nigerian vice president does not wield the same executive powers as the president, who appoints key officials, including ministers and the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
She also recalled that when allegations were previously made against Atiku, the former vice president reportedly waived his constitutional immunity and made himself available for investigation by anti-corruption agencies.
"At point were allegations made against Atiku? And I quite remember that there was a time he was investigated by Nuhu Ribadu; he voluntarily set aside his constitutional immunity and challenged Ribadu at that time. I have never seen any kind of explicit allegations against Atiku, Waziri Adamawa. In terms of corruption, you cannot compare Atiku with Tinubu," she said.
According to Najaatu, that decision reflected a level of accountability that she believes is lacking in today's political environment.
She questioned the growing influence of state governors over government agencies and alleged that some public institutions have been used to channel billions of naira into political campaigns.
The dispute has also attracted international attention following Atiku's engagement of the Washington-based lobbying firm Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C.
The firm reportedly submitted historical records from the United States Department of Justice to selected congressional committees and executive offices in Washington.
The documents relate to a 1993 civil forfeiture case filed at the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois involving President Bola Tinubu.
The case stemmed from an investigation conducted in the late 1980s and early 1990s into alleged narcotics proceeds linked to accounts associated with Tinubu.
The matter ended in a negotiated asset forfeiture settlement.
However, the case did not result in a criminal conviction, and Nigerian courts have previously treated the issue as a civil matter rather than a criminal offence.
Atiku's decision to revive the matter through international lobbying has nevertheless reignited debate in Nigeria over political accountability, transparency and the role of foreign lobbying in the country's political affairs.
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