Klinsmann Slams Atiku For Questioning Tinubu’s Associations

Renowned policy analyst and APC chieftain from Anambra State, Pharmacist Ikeagwuonwu Chinedu Klinsmann, has taken a swipe at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, over recent statement questioning President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ties to his Chicago university classmates.

Describing Atiku’s remarks as “hypocritical and morally hollow,” Klinsmann said the former Vice President is in no position to cast aspersions on others given his “troubling history of financial opacity, unresolved corruption allegations, and unexplained wealth.”

In a statement in Abuja, Klinsmann faulted Atiku’s attempt to draw attention to the President’s personal associations while leaving his questionable financial dealings unexplained.

“If anyone should refrain from speaking about integrity and transparency, it is Atiku Abubakar. His career, from customs officer to Vice President, has been overshadowed by unresolved questions about how a public servant amassed wealth estimated at over $81 million,” Klinsmann stated.

He cited several reports and official findings, including the 2010 U.S. Senate investigation, which linked over $40 million in suspect funds to offshore accounts reportedly connected to Atiku’s family and business interests

“The movement of tens of millions of dollars through opaque offshore structures, facilitated by Atiku’s wife, is not a matter that can be waved off as political propaganda,” Klinsmann stressed. “Nigerians deserve full disclosure: Where did that money come from? Why was it moved offshore, and why has Atiku consistently refused to open his financial records to scrutiny?”

Klinsmann also raised questions about Atiku’s Dubai real estate holdings, including a luxury flat at Palm Tower reportedly worth $1.23 million, along with other properties linked to his 23-year-old daughter.

He wondered: “How did a career customs officer – and later Vice President – acquire such high-value foreign assets without a transparent income trail? How did his daughter, barely out of her twenties, come to own luxury properties in one of the world’s most expensive markets?”

The APC stalwart further referenced Atiku’s business dealings through Intels Nigeria Limited, a logistics firm he co-founded.

“Allegations persist that Atiku used Intels as a vehicle to convert public resources into private assets. A 2007 Nigerian Senate investigation accused him of diverting $145 million in public funds, some of which reportedly ended up bolstering companies tied to him,” he said.

Klinsmann added that Atiku’s continued evasion of these issues and unwillingness to open up his business dealings further erode whatever credibility he claims.

Klinsmann questioned Atiku’s stewardship during Nigeria’s privatisation era, accusing him of overseeing a process tainted by accusations of favoritism and asset stripping.

“The scandals around the sale of national assets, especially in the oil and gas sector, are still fresh in public memory. While Atiku insists he is innocent, he has failed to provide the public with convincing proof or independent audits to clear his name,” he noted.

Reacting directly to Atiku’s attempt to link President Tinubu’s legitimacy to his academic associations, Klinsmann said, “This is deflection at its most desperate. President Tinubu’s education and public service history are well documented. Atiku, on the other hand, cannot speak with the same clarity about his own finances or business history. It is hypocrisy of the highest order to question others when your own house is riddled with unanswered questions.”

Klinsmann called on Atiku to take responsibility and show true leadership by voluntarily disclosing all his assets, including those allegedly held in his family’s name and through offshore companies. “If you want to talk about accountability, then lead by example. How were your properties in Dubai acquired? What role did you play in transferring suspect funds to the U.S.? How did Intels rise to become a billion-dollar company under your political watch?”

He emphasised that President Tinubu’s administration remains committed to transparency, accountability, and institutional reforms, including strengthening the EFCC and ICPC. He called on Nigerians to see through what he described as “the latest in Atiku’s long-running campaign of distraction,” especially coming from someone who has contested – and lost – every presidential election cycle since 2007.

Klinsmann said it was time Nigerians began demanding answers not just from those in power, but also from those who seek to return to it. “Before Atiku continues his familiar script of mudslinging, he must first explain how he rose from a modest customs officer’s income to a global real estate and logistics empire. That’s the real mystery – and one Nigerians deserve to have unravelled.”

He said: “This country deserves leadership rooted in accountability and substance, not political theatrics. Until Atiku addresses the mountain of unanswered allegations against him, he has no moral standing to attack President Tinubu – or anyone else for that matter.”