Joseph Bakare
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar on Thursday arrived to the United States of America for a meeting with government officials.
The presidential candidate was seen at the Washington Dulles International Airport alongside Senate President Bukola Saraki.
The visa was reportedly facilitated by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“Just arrived Washington D.C for meeting with US government officials, Nigerians living in D.C metropolis and the business community,” Abubakar tweeted on Thursday evening.
He is expected to speak at the United States Chamber of Commerce in DC on Friday.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had dared him to visit the United States.
He and his fourth wife Jennifer Douglas, an American citizen, were allegedly indicted in 2010 in a 328-page American Senate committee report for transferring over $40 million “suspect funds” to America from offshore accounts between 2002 and 2008.
Abubakar served as Nigerian vice president between 1999 and 2007.
“Ms Douglas helped her husband bring over $40 million in suspect funds into the United States, including at least $1.7 million in bribe payments from Siemens AG, a German corporation, and over $38 million from little known offshore corporations, primarily LetsGo Ltd. Inc., Guernsey Trust Company Nigeria Ltd., and Sima Holding Ltd,” the Carl Levin-led Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation said on page 173 of its report.
Although Abubakar has not visited the United States since he was indicted, he has maintained that he did nothing wrong.
He insisted he can be Nigerian president without visiting America, one of Nigeria’s most important allies.
In November, the Director General of the Atiku campaign organisation, Gbenga Daniel, said officials of the United States had hinted that Abubakar would get a U.S. visa if he applied for one.
“I can also confirm to you that in last few days that there have been signals from the American officials that he (Atiku) should indeed come forward so he can be granted a visa. So between you and I, all the issues are perception,” Daniel said in an interview on Channels Television programme, Politics Today.