Nigerian Opposition Candidate Considers Amnesty for Corruption Suspects, According to Reuters

By Paul Carsten

ABUJA – Nigerian opposition presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar announced on Wednesday that he is open to considering an amnesty for individuals accused of corruption. This initiative aims to facilitate the recovery of billions of dollars that Nigerian politicians and government officials have reportedly hidden abroad.

Abubakar, who is the primary challenger to President Muhammadu Buhari in the upcoming election on February 16, highlighted corruption, security, and the economy as pivotal campaign issues. Buhari is banking on his anti-corruption efforts to secure a second term.

In recent years, Nigeria’s public funds have been depleted by corrupt officials, with corruption permeating various layers of society. Buhari was elected in 2015 on a platform promising to eradicate graft.

To combat this issue, Nigeria introduced a whistleblower program two years ago, offering individuals a chance to earn up to 5 percent of the recovered assets they help locate, as part of Buhari’s broader strategy to eliminate widespread corruption.

Abubakar suggested that the proposed amnesty program could motivate corrupt individuals to voluntarily return some of the embezzled funds, which are urgently needed for infrastructure development. He also called for the establishment of a commission to tackle election fraud.

"Why can we not have an election fraud commission?" Abubakar posed during a televised town hall meeting aimed at engaging voters. "This would hold accountable anyone who breaches the law, whether they are part of a political party, the electoral commission, or security agencies."

Throughout the campaign, Abubakar and his vice presidential candidate, Peter Obi, faced scrutiny regarding their history with corruption and the investment of public funds in private enterprises in which they held shares while in office. Both candidates refuted the allegations.

Abubakar further stated that he would be willing to investigate corruption claims involving high-ranking military officials, particularly as the military is currently grappling with shortages of weapons and resources in its fight against Islamist insurgencies.

Critics have frequently accused senior military personnel in Nigeria of engaging in corruption, asserting that such practices divert critical resources and weaponry away from the northeastern region, where they are necessary to combat escalating Islamist threats.

In a separate speech earlier on Wednesday, Abubakar pledged to establish a $25 billion fund designed to stimulate private sector investment in infrastructure, aiming to revive the struggling economy.

Nigeria’s economy, which heavily relies on oil and competes with South Africa’s for being the largest in Africa, has struggled since 2016, when it experienced its first recession in 25 years.