Meet Brian Ballard, the lobbyist who arranged Atiku’s US visit

Meet Brian Ballard, the lobbyist who arranged Atiku’s US visit

Brian D. Ballard: a Trump ally, said to be the most powerful lobbyist. Believed to be the man who arranged Atiku’s trip to the United States

The full story is now out: Brian Ballard, a friend of the US President, touted to be the most powerful lobbyist in America, arranged the short Washington trip of Abubakar Atiku, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party.

In documents published online by Popular Information Atiku’s PDP hired Ballard’s lobbying firm for $1.1m a year, and already has paid the firm $540,000 by the terms of the agreement.

The contract was signed between Ballard and Osita Chidoka, a former aviation minister on 21 September, 2018, weeks before Atiku emerged in October as PDP Presidential candidate, in a primary election widely reported to have been influenced by the free spending of dollars to woo delegates.

Part of the assignment of Ballard Partners “include advising, counselling, and assisting the foreign principal in communication with U.S. government officials, U.S. business entities, and non-governmental audiences”.

It was not clear whether it was PDP that paid the $540,000 already committed or whether it was Atiku.

What was clear was that Ballard may have come in handy in clearing all the obstacles on Atiku’s path to travel to the United States.

 

As a Politically Exposed Person, Atiku was one of the foreign officials barred by the US government from coming to America, following allegations of money laundering.

Popular Information corroborated earlier reports that a 2010 bipartisan report by the U.S. Senate, “KEEPING FOREIGN CORRUPTION OUT OF THE UNITED STATES: FOUR CASE HISTORIES.” detailed corruption allegations against Atiku.

However, he has never been charged.

According to the report, Abubakar, through his wife, Jennifer Douglas Abubakar, funnelled $40 million in “suspect funds” to the United States, including millions in “bribe payments.”

German corporation, Siemens, also admitted in court of bribing Atiku through his fourth wife, Jennifer.

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