Staff, consultants spread stories of Atiku’s mounting debt, unpaid salaries

PDP’s presidential candidate and former Vice President Atiku Abubakr might have gone broke.

Reports have been pouring in on how he hasn’t paid some of his companies’ staffs and consultants, local and foreign, for months.

According to the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) which claimed it got some petitions, the complaint by the staff of Atiku’s communication company Gotel and consultants hired from foreign media companies does not portray Atiku as a man of integrity.

“This particular matter reflects on his lack of good principles and his lack of integrity. Atiku has by this established that he does not keep his words. Thankfully, the wisdom of a majority of Nigerians prevailed, the enormity of an Atiku presidency that would have brought this kind of character to governance has been jettisoned,” the MBO said in a statement its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke signed.

The petitioners said Atiku engaged them for media jobs, flown some of them into the country, but refused to honour his agreement to pay them, owing them months of salaries and allowances, and leaving many of them in debt.

The BMO attacked Atiku for seeking the office of the president for personal benefits.

“One of the reasons Atiku sought to be President was to open the treasury to fund his growing debts, and also enrich his friends who had provided him liquidation during his political sojourn. He, in fact, had promised to sell the country’s NNPC to his friends.”

Atiku, a billionaire, has been contesting presidential election for no fewer than 16 years, financing the attempts largely with his fortunes in different parties he has joined to get the tickets.