FALLACIOUS ALLEGATION THAT DECENT APC WOULD NOT VOYAGE: PROPAGANDA'S LAST BREATH — THE ATIKU CORRUPTION MYTH MUST DIE. Aare Amerijoye Dotb

I stumbled into a circus yesternight, not the kind with lions and acrobats, but the special Nigerian variety where certain APC loyalists gather to rehearse their favourite bedtime story: “Atiku is corrupt.” To be clear, this is not the collective gospel of all APC members. Many decent and rational minds within the party those who value evidence over echo chambers would never embark on such a shallow voyage.

But for the propaganda enthusiasts, they chant this tale like a nursery rhyme for toddlers grappling with their alphabets. It has become an annual ritual, like Sallah rams appearing every Eid. Same tired script. Same limp performance. Only this time, the audience is more enlightened, and these old tricks no longer cast any spell.

For years, the word “corruption” has been weaponised against Atiku Abubakar, draped around his neck like an ornamental noose. The logic seems to be that if a falsehood is repeated often enough, perhaps the truth itself will bow out. Yet, as George Orwell reminded us, “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” And so, let the revolution commence.

I asked a simple question, a question even a half-drunk okada rider in Mushin could answer if any credible evidence existed: Where is the proof? What followed was a tragic parade,WhatsApp forwards seasoned with beer-parlour gossip, recycled videos from 2007, and conspiracy theories presented with the flair of scholars in hearsay science. Of course, this doesn’t represent the intellectual wing of the APC,some of whom privately cringe at these theatrics. But for the more excitable propagandists, misinformation has become a sport.

Before public office ever whispered Atiku’s name, the man had already built wealth through sweat, strategy, and bold investments. This is the inconvenient truth some prefer to sidestep, the reality that prosperity can be earned legally, not just through patronage pipelines or shadowy consultancy gigs. As far back as 1982, Atiku co-founded Intels, revolutionising Nigeria’s oil and gas logistics sector. This was not some spontaneous wealth conjured from thin air; it was the product of foresight and industry.

While Atiku built industries, invested in agriculture, created jobs, and founded a world-class institution in the American University of Nigeria, what were some of these overzealous propaganda actors perfecting? They were mastering street-corner economics,cornering motor park dues, distributing imaginative tax receipts, and graduating from political apprentices to authors of ever-evolving legends. Not all APC members indulge in such crafts,many in the party’s progressive core detest these methods. But for the noisy propagandist faction, irony is thick enough to cut with a spoon,they cry “Atiku is corrupt!” while standing on a platform constructed with the bricks of political exaggeration.

And what exactly is Atiku’s crime? That he was born in Adamawa, not Iragbiji? That his wealth is traceable, rather than camouflaged in offshore mazes? That his companies have legitimate addresses, rather than floating anonymously in the Bermuda Triangle of political finances? Every brick in Atiku’s empire has a paper trail, every kobo accounted for. Can every successful political player claim the same? Even within APC, thoughtful minds know the answer to that is complicated.

The latest tactic, as curious as a masquerade dancing without drums, is to weaponise Atiku’s age,as though leadership automatically expires at 60. They conveniently forget that Nelson Mandela was 75 when he led South Africa out of apartheid’s wilderness, and many world leaders have governed effectively well into their seventies and eighties. In Nigeria, some figures appear exempt from the rigours of public transparency, with age and educational records becoming subjects of perennial speculation, often stirring more questions than answers.

Atiku Abubakar is a man whose life reads like a textbook of resilience, industry, and democratic struggle. From the sandy plains of Jada to the economic nerve centres of Lagos and Abuja, Atiku’s journey is a case study in lawful enterprise, administrative acumen, and political sophistication. His wealth was nurtured in the nursery of diligence and watered by the sweat of entrepreneurial audacity. His story is not a fairy tale concocted by media consultants,it is a verifiable account of a man who built conglomerates, created jobs, and paid taxes long before the acronym APC was baptised into Nigeria’s political lexicon.

Atiku Abubakar’s wealth, unlike the foggy finances that have often clouded the profiles of some political players, has stood the test of public scrutiny without the dark whispers of illicit entanglements. There exists no credible record in local or global archives linking Atiku’s economic ascendance to any drug trade, money laundering, or underworld economy.

History has no record of bullion vans making ceremonial arrivals at Atiku Abubakar’s residence on the eve of elections, a contrast to certain curious spectacles that have triggered public wonder in our political landscape. No court proceedings, whether in Abuja, Washington DC, or the corridors of The Hague, have ever tendered exhibits tying Atiku to illicit financial escapades. His wealth, regardless of its magnitude, carries the fingerprints of transparency, the footprints of entrepreneurial audacity, and the breath of legitimate business acumen.

Atiku’s wealth is not shrouded in ambiguity. His ventures,Intels, Adama Beverages, Priam Group, ABTI Schools, Atiku Farms,are living institutions employing thousands. Even pragmatic APC members privately acknowledge this. By contrast, certain governance templates in recent history appear to have prioritised creative storytelling over actual economic innovation.

Let’s talk competence, a subject that unsettles certain propagandists because it pierces through carefully crafted illusions. Atiku’s understanding of the economy is neither speculative nor theoretical, it is grounded in experience. His economic blueprint is not some hurriedly assembled manifesto, but a product of lived entrepreneurship. Even within APC’s inner technocratic circles, some honest voices would admit this when the cameras are off.

And what do the more theatrical propaganda champions offer in return? Empty noise, masquerades dancing to the silence of absent evidence. Their preferred survival tactic is demonisation, not because they possess facts, but because they fear Atiku’s capacity to unite, innovate, and deliver.

To the reasonable APC members, those who believe in facts over fiction, this piece is not for you. But to the propaganda merchants, here’s an open invitation: Produce a single shred of verifiable, court-admissible evidence that Atiku looted Nigeria’s treasury. Not barroom tales, not WhatsApp hallucinations, not expired conspiracy recipes. Just one credible piece of evidence. Until then, silence might be your most dignified option.

As Voltaire once warned, “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” For years, some were made to believe the absurdity that certain individuals were financial messiahs. Today, the consequence is clear: the Naira stumbles, fuel gulps salaries, youth wander in unemployment, and the nation drifts like a canoe without a paddle.

Atiku Abubakar’s relevance does not depend on propaganda; it rests on the solid foundation of his tangible impact. His legacy stands built not on borrowed slogans, but on real contributions to Nigeria’s development.

Hate him or admire him, his legacy stands. Smear him or defend him, his businesses thrive. Fabricate against him or acknowledge him, facts remain immune to propaganda.

This is 2025, not 2007. Nigerians have grown sharper teeth,teeth that chew through propaganda with ease. In this age, we demand receipts, not rumours. Evidence, not envy. Facts, not fiction.

So to the propaganda merchants, the next time the urge strikes to chant “Atiku is corrupt,” pause. Consult your facts, or better still, consult your conscience.

This is the closure of lazy propaganda. Welcome to the era of undeniable truth,where reality washes tongues clean, and propaganda’s last breath evaporates into history. 2027 will not be a theatre of old fables. This time, Nigerians will cast their votes for competence over concoctions, for a man whose record speaks louder than any contrived narrative ever could.