Allegations ranging from fake diplomas to money laundering and tax evasion hung in the lead-up to Nigeria’s presidential election on Friday.
The allegations tarnished the shadows of the leading candidates, all veteran public officials who have amassed fortunes in the private sector.
The candidates deny wrongdoing, and the allegations do not lead to conviction.
Summary of Nigerian election candidates
– Bola Tinubu –
Tinubu, the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has come under fire on the campaign trail for allegedly lying about his age – detractors say he is older than he declared 70 years – and faking a university diploma.
Also read: Nigerians struggle with cost of living as election draws near
But the biggest question is reserved for how Tinubu, governor of Lagos state from 1999-2007 with interests from the media and aviation, to tax consulting, Hotel and real estate, came to some money.
According to court filings in Chicago in 1993, nearly $2 million in proceeds from the heroin-trafficking network is suspected to have transited through Tinubu’s US bank account.
Tinubu, who has strongly denied any wrongdoing, reached an agreement with US authorities, who seized $460,000 from an account under his name in a “drug-related property seizure”.
Tinubu’s former associates have also accused him of using his position as governor to siphon public funds through vested tax collection companies – which he has also denied.
A long legal battle between the company and the former associate ended last June with a settlement out of court, the details of which remain unknown.
– Atiku Abubakar –
Former vice president Atiku Abubakar, the 76-year-old champion of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is one of many politicians in Nigeria who have parallel careers in business.
In the 70s and 80s, Abubakar rose through the ranks of the customs service and later moved into the private sector, developing businesses in oil, agriculture and other sectors.
Also Read: Nigerian President tries to ease cash crisis
He entered politics in the 90s during Nigeria’s military government and in 1999 was elected as Olusegun Obasanjo’s vice president.
Over the next eight years, Abubakar oversaw the privatization of hundreds of loss-making, corrupt or poorly managed state-owned enterprises.
In 2014, Obasanjo published a book called “My Watch” in which he accused his former deputy of embezzling the equivalent of $145 million in 2003 earmarked for the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), which was set aside to help train Nigerians. oil industry.
The US Senate investigation also said that from 2000-2008, one of her husbands, a US citizen, helped her transfer $40 million in suspect funds to US bank accounts through an offshore company.
The pair are also accused of receiving more than $2 million in commissions for contracts with Germany-based multinational Siemens.
The company has since pleaded guilty in this matter.
Abubakar denied any wrongdoing.
– Peter Obi –
Labor Party candidate Peter Obi, 61, is being promoted as a clean candidate in a country whose political culture is notorious for corruption.
He earned a reputation for frugality and integrity as the governor of southeastern Anambra state from 2006-14.
He also made a fortune in banking and import-export trade, but unlike his two main rivals he was never accused of corruption or wrongdoing.
However, his name appeared in 2021 in the “Pandora Papers” which revealed tax evasion by an international consortium of journalists.
Also read: In northern Nigeria, fuel, cash crisis hits election campaign
According to unearthed documents, Obi in 2006, when he was governor, registered a company in the British Virgin Islands in his daughter’s name to evade taxes.
The practice itself is not illegal, even though Obi failed to declare the account to Nigerian authorities, the consortium said.
Detractors also accuse him of investing state funds in beer companies in which his family has interests. He did not deny the allegation, but said the investment would yield substantial returns for the country.