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Tag: Atiku Abubabar

  • APC accuses Atiku of felony

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of felony, saying the PDP presidential candidate has been carrying himself as an alternative President.

    The party reminded the former Vice President that the constitution is clear on how to deal with criminalities, stressing that the Muhammadu Buhari administration will not be found wanting where it is required to take decisive actions.

    APC National Publicity Secretary Lanre Issa Onilu said, in a statement yesterday, Atiku had been making statements reserved for sitting Presidents or his appointed representatives on matters of national security and foreign policies.

    The APC also reminded him that the constitution does not provide for a parliamentary system of government where you have a parliamentary, but a presidential system where there can be only one President.

    Atiku was told that he has since lost the 2019/presidential election and should face reality.

    The statement reads: ‘The All Progressives Congress (APC) strongly condemns the 2019 presidential candidate of the oppositions Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who has now made it a pastime to make public statements on issues, which constitutionally should be reserved for the duly elected head of government or his designees.

    Read also: Buhari’s CoS Kyari to court: Atiku wasn’t born Nigerian

    “As a Party, we would have thought that Alh. Atiku who in the past occupied such high office as the country’s vice president would clearly understand the workings of government, particularly as it bothers on national security, foreign policy and our international engagement.

    “We have noted Alh. Atiku’s incessant habits of releasing statements on public issues as if he were an alternative President of this country and with a clear intention to undermine President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC-led government.

    “In recent times, Alh. Atiku has demonstrated lack of regard for the sovereignty of the office of the President and Nigerian government through condescending statements. He has made several of such statements regarding the activities of the Nigerian military, issues of national security, and international relations.

    “The latest of such statements is the one he made on the emergence of Mr. Boris Johnson as Prime Minister of Britain even when our duly elected President, who has the responsibility of making an official statement on such matter, has made the position of our country known.

    “We note with serious concern that Alh. Atiku has been throwing himself around as a shadow President of Nigeria. We would like to state clearly that such position could only be found under the parliamentary system. It does not exist under the Presidential system of government that we practise in Nigeria.

    “Alh. Atiku, like every Nigerian citizen, should understand that being a candidate for an elective office, including that of the President, does not confer on him a sovereign status. Alh. Atiku’s continuous portrayal of himself as a shadow President under our system borders on felony and makes him a patent impostor.

    “There can only be one democratically elected and legitimate government at a time in this country. That clearly is the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. It is important to remind Alh. Atiku that issues of national security, foreign policy and international engagements are not matters to be exploited to achieve mischievous political ends.”

    An aide to Atiku on media, who craved anonymity, berated the ruling party.

    The aide said: “It is a reckless and an unguarded statement to make in a democracy where there is freedom of association and of speech. It is unimaginable that people in government and members of the ruling party will be talking of repressing someone is expressing his private opinion.

    “That is the character of the APC. The party lacks respect for the rule of law.”

  • Atiku’s server gambit

    I really wonder for how long we have to deal with dishonest leaders. Leaders who lie without remorse, who cheat the people,  deceive the people and relentlessly play on their intelligence.

    When Alhaji Abubakar Atiku started yelling that he had been cheated on the Monday following the Presidential elections, I thought, well, perhaps he must have a point.

    Then he said the results he was getting from the field showed he was ahead while the results being announced on TV and radio by the returning officers showed that he was losing by an ever increasing gap as the results came in.

    Then he said he was going to prove that the elections were rigged by showing that the INEC server (not Website, which is accessible to all) contained results showing he won the elections by 1.6million votes. As to how these results got to the INEC server, he offered that the Smart Card Readers transferred the results from the polling units electronically to the server.

    Atiku is clearly playing games with our intelligence. His ploy is simple. Tell a lie, make it as confusing as possible, a lie around technology always works best. But this is so irritating because it is so obviously a lie.

    In the petition before the tribunal, he says that the results on the INEC server showed that in Lagos State he had 1.1 million votes and Buhari had 1.3 million votes. I voted in Lagos, the entire Nigerian Press and all the social media operate in Lagos. Minute by minute they posted the results on line. The total votes by all the media for Buhari, Atiku and all other candidates was 1.05 million votes.  It seems only Atiku had a record of this fantastic result!

    I am a lawyer, I am not a SAN like his lawyers but the Electoral Act makes no provision whatsoever for transmission of election results electronically. The relevant provision clearly prescribes a process of filling and verifying forms at every stage from local government collation to State collation and then the National collation centre at Abuja.

    READ ALSO: Buhari, Jonathan, Atiku and who?

    Section 73 Of the Electoral Act says: “Subject to the provisions of this Act, the Commission shall issue and publish, in the Gazette, guidelines for the elections which shall make provisions, among other things, for the step by step recording of the poll in the electoral forms as may be prescribed beginning from the polling unit to the last collation centre for the ward or constituency where the result of the election shall be declared’.

    And section 74 says: ‘Every Result Form completed at the Ward, Local Government, State and National levels in accordance with the provision of this Act or any guidelines issued by the Commission shall be stamped, signed and countersigned by the relevant officers and polling agents at those levels and copies given to the police officers and the polling agents, where available.’

    So the law expects that the results would be collated manually, entered and signed on forms provided by law. In any event, the Card reader is only configured to verify the authenticity of PVCs not to collate and transmit results.  Those who designed the process may have known that electronic transmission would result in these types of scams, a candidate who claims he accessed the INEC server!

    If he could access it he could tamper with the figures. Thank God that we have hard copies of all the results and the law only allows proof by hard copies.

    The same Atiku argues in his petition that Card readers were not used in many States. Yet his ‘server results’ show results from every State except Rivers State. In every state there is a total number of accredited voters and scores for Buhari and himself. How were the results electronically transmitted in States where Card Readers were allegedly not used?

    It is incredible that a man who wants to lead this nation sees nothing wrong in barefaced deceit and astonishing lies.

    This is just so insulting! Why do we have these sorts of characters inflicted on us?

    Faith Edet Bassey, a legal practitioner, writes from Abuja

     

     

     

     

     

  • Atiku wins in Akwa Ibom

    •Akpabio loses re-election bid  •APC alleges vote buying, manipulation

    People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubabar has won 28 of the 30 local government areas in Akwa Ibom State.

    President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) took two councils, namely Mbo and Essien Udim, where Senator Godswill Akpabio hails from.

    Elections in Udung Uko were cancelled due to alleged violence and irregularities arising from snatching of ballot boxes, result sheets and card readers.

    This is as a strong indication emerged last night that Akpabio had finally lost his re-election bid to the Senate to the PDP candidate, Chris Ekpenyong.

    Results from eight of the 10 local government areas that make up Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District favoured the PDP candidate. Akpabio won in Ikot Ekpene with a slight margin.

    The INEC finally rejected the result from Essien Udim, Akpabio’s local government after it confirmed through the card reader that votes earlier allocated to Senator Akpabio were much more than the total number of accredited voters in the council area.

    On the elections, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mike Igini, said the elections in the state was generally peaceful despite pockets of violence as shown in the destruction of INEC materials and attacks on the commission’s staff by thugs working for politicians.

    “Those who are threatening our staff should stop it. The intimidation is getting too much. I am here to preside over the affairs of elections in this state. For the first time, to ensure credibility of the elections. Materials were deployed and they were destroyed and at a great loss to our country. The time to snatch ballot boxes and write results is over. If you can win, you will win,” he said.

    But, the APC kicked against the result of the presidential election, calling for its cancellation over alleged electoral fraud.

    Read also: No force can upturn results, say election observers

    Addressing a news conference after the collation of the results, presidential agent for APC, Bishop Samuel Akpan, alleged that the polls was fraught with irregularities and completely short of democratic norms.

    State Party Agent Umana Umana said: “The position of our party is well-documented. The whole process of collation is not satisfactory to our party. Vote buying was experienced all over the state. We hope that the umpire will take note of the grievances in our petition. We are talking about the integrity of the process. We are saying that the umpire to be seen to be fair to all concerned.

    Similarly, Akpan also alleged vote buying and manipulation by PDP in connivance with INEC.

    “Long before now, our party has been agitating that we do not have confident in the process. In addition, the outcome has proved now that there has been compromise arising from money that had changed hands. Akwa Ibom is an APC State and the people that made the PDP are now in the APC.

    “The results we are getting do not reflect the votes that we have. This is not the type of democracy that we want. We urge the Federal Government to rise and protect our democracy,” he said.

  • Atiku assures women of strong representation, if elected

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has pledged to give women a strong representation in his government, if elected in 2019.

    Abubakar made the pledge during an interactive session with Nigerian women on Wednesday in Abuja.

    He said that he decided to have his first interaction with women because the PDP had never refused to advance or protect the interest of women.

    “This is the first interactive session we are having with any group and this is to underline the importance of women as far as our party is concerned.

    ’’Since you are about 50 per cent of our population, our representatives at all levels must reflect this population.

    ”Some will argue that gender equality is a deal that cannot be achieved overnight, I disagree.

    ”We can achieve it. The PDP almost achieved it until the government of the All Progressives Congress (APC) took over power.

    ”I stand before you here today and I want you to hold me accountable. I will commit to a strong representation of women in our PDP government and also recall that when I was the Vice President, I demonstrated this belief.

    ”I brought some of the brightest women into our government. Therefore, gender should not be a barrier.

    ”In terms of quantity and quality, you will play a lead role in our administration,” Abubakar said.

    Abubakar, while answering questions, promised to put in place a financial programme targeted at empowering them to tackle poverty as well as establish a sustainable financial inclusion system that would address discrimination against women.

    “For those of you who might have come from the same state with me, some years ago, I decided to set up a micro finance bank.

    ”I brought management experts from Bangladesh because Bangladesh is the best country in the management of micro finance.

    “I gave them instructions to make sure that 80 per cent of the loans go to women and today that bank is one of the best micro finance banks in the country.

    ”We have moved out more than 45, 000 people out of poverty in my area. If you want to fight poverty, empower women.

    ”I am not talking politics, I am sentimentally and emotionally attached to womanhood,” he stated.

    Abubakar also pledged to improve the country’s transportation system by improving the infrastructure including good roads, railway and airport to reduce accidents.

    He also pledged that in line with PDP history, his government would give better attention to the entertainment industry.

     

  • Secondus demands resignation of IGP, INEC chair

    ….As Atiku challenges Buhari to debate

    The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus has demanded the immediate resignation of the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris.
    Secondus also called on the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof Mahmood Yakubu to resign his position without delay.
    Speaking on Thursday as the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the PDP, the opposition party chairman said the PDP has lost confidence in the capacity of the IGP and the INEC chairman to guarantee free and fair elections.
    He insisted that both the IGP and the INEC aided the All Progressives Congress (APC) in rigging the last Ekiti and Osun States governorship elections.
    Secondus warned that the PDP would not accept the outcome of rigged elections, adding that there would be a national crisis if the 2019 elections were rigged.
    Also speaking at the event, the presidential candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubabar, expressed his readiness to engage President Muhammadu Buhari in a public debate on key national issues in the 2019 elections.
    His speech was interrupted with a snide remark from an unidentified voice who asked if Atiku was referring to “Jubril”, an alleged non existent body double of President Buhari. The mischief has been trending in the social media space lately.
    Atiku however replied the voice, asking, “Which Jubril? Is it the one in Sudan or the one in Abuja?”, a remark that drew a derisive outburst from the crowd of party faithful present in the hall.
    The opposition presidential candidate further said that if elected, his administration would enthroned a policy of strict adherence to fiscal responsibility in the conduct of government business.
    He pledged to galvanize efforts through consultations to liberate the nation from the shackles of hunger, deprivation, killings and divisive tendencies.
    Atiku said, “Our aim is to work very hard and collectively liberate our nation from the shackles of hunger, starvation, deprivation, bloodletting, killings and division which bedevil us today. We must all work hard to return our nation to the path of harmony, peace and progress.
    “We need to be disciplined in our campaign because we are facing a desperate APC. The coming election may be the toughest presidential election since the return of democracy.
    “The APC has chosen personal attacks over issues, instead of campaigning on achievements. My campaign will be focused on issues not character assassination and personal attacks.
    “We should be telling Nigerians what we want to do differently to get Nigeria working again. We must be vigilant at the polling units. We must demand the removal of the IGP. Elections are governed by laws and rules guiding the behaviour of all those involved”
    He urged President Buhari to sign the amended Electoral Act presently on his desk if he is truly for free, fair and credible elections.
    The PDP candidate made assurances of new templates for fiscal responsibility and productivity in every critical sector of national life.
    The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, who also spoke at the event urged party leaders and stakeholders, to remain united and strong as the elections draw nearer.
    Saraki said, “The people are with us and when the people are with us, God is with us, we will do it, we will succeed. I emphasise that we must stay strong because it is not going to be easy.
    “Let us remember when we were going for the convention this room was vibrating, there was tension in the country and people never believed that it was possible because it has never happened where people will go to a primary and come out with not even one person disagreeing.

    Read Also: Kashamu to Secondus: obey party constitution

    “I have said it many atimes that APC is not our opponent on the ballot paper; it is the security agents that are opponents on the ballot paper.
    “If you talk to ten Nigerians today, they will tell you yes your party is popular but they will rig it. What does that mean? We must stand, we must stand for free and credible election. We must stand for an election where people have the right to vote.
    Saraki, is the Director General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, warned that there could be crisis in the country if the elections were not free, fair and credible.
    The party inaugurated a 154-member Campaign Council shortly after the NEC meeting, with Secondus named as chairman of the Council.
    Atiku is co-chairman of the Council while former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is co deputy chairman.
    Also on Thursday, the PDP inaugurated its Presidential campaign council with Secondus as chairman and Atiku as co-chair man.
    Other members of the Council are the governors elected on the platform of the party, the party’s principal officers of the National Assembly, all the presidential aspirants that contested with Atiku, former Ministers, former principal officers of the National Assembly, members of the National Working Committee of the PDP, among others.

    At the inauguration of the campaign council, Secondus charged the team to brace up for the challenges ahead, adding that the task was to sell the agenda of the PDP across the entire country.

  • Secondus demands resignation of IGP, INEC chairman

    ….As Atiku challenges Buhari to debate

    The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus has demanded the immediate resignation of the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris.

    Secondus also called on the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof Mahmood Yakubu to resign his position without delay.

    Speaking on Thursday as the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the PDP, the opposition party chairman said the PDP has lost confidence in the capacity of the IGP and the INEC chairman to guarantee free and fair elections.

    He insisted that both the IGP and the INEC aided the All Progressives Congress (APC) in rigging the last Ekiti and Osun States governorship elections.

    Secondus warned that the PDP would not accept the outcome of rigged elections, adding that there would be a national crisis if the 2019 elections were rigged.

    Also speaking at the event, the presidential candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubabar, expressed his readiness to engage President Muhammadu Buhari in a public debate on key national issues in the 2019 elections.

    His speech was interrupted with a snide remark from an unidentified voice who asked if Atiku was referring to “Jubril”, an alleged non existent body double of President Buhari. The mischief has been trending in the social media space lately.

    Atiku however replied the voice, asking, “Which Jubril? Is it the one in Sudan or the one in Abuja?”, a remark that drew a derisive outburst from the crowd of party faithful present in the hall.

    The opposition presidential candidate further said that if elected, his administration would enthroned a policy of strict adherence to fiscal responsibility in the conduct of government business.

    He pledged to galvanize efforts through consultations to liberate the nation from the shackles of hunger, deprivation, killings and divisive tendencies.

    Atiku said, “Our aim is to work very hard and collectively liberate our nation from the shackles of hunger, starvation, deprivation, bloodletting, killings and division which bedevil us today. We must all work hard to return our nation to the path of harmony, peace and progress.

    “We need to be disciplined in our campaign because we are facing a desperate APC. The coming election may be the toughest presidential election since the return of democracy.

    “The APC has chosen personal attacks over issues, instead of campaigning on achievements. My campaign will be focused on issues not character assassination and personal attacks.

    Read Also: No move to impeach my former deputy – Tambuwal

    “We should be telling Nigerians what we want to do differently to get Nigeria working again. We must be vigilant at the polling units. We must demand the removal of the IGP. Elections are governed by laws and rules guiding the behaviour of all those involved”

    He urged President Buhari to sign the amended Electoral Act presently on his desk if he is truly for free, fair and credible elections.

    The PDP candidate made assurances of new templates for fiscal responsibility and productivity in every critical sector of national life.

    The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, who also spoke at the event urged party leaders and stakeholders, to remain united and strong as the elections draw nearer.

    Saraki said, “The people are with us and when the people are with us, God is with us, we will do it, we will succeed. I emphasise that we must stay strong because it is not going to be easy.

    “Let us remember when we were going for the convention this room was vibrating, there was tension in the country and people never believed that it was possible because it has never happened where people will go to a primary and come out with not even one person disagreeing.

    “I have said it many atimes that APC is not our opponent on the ballot paper; it is the security agents that are opponents on the ballot paper.

    “If you talk to ten Nigerians today, they will tell you yes your party is popular but they will rig it. What does that mean? We must stand, we must stand for free and credible election. We must stand for an election where people have the right to vote.

    Saraki, is the Director General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, warned that there could be crisis in the country if the elections were not free, fair and credible.

    The party inaugurated a 154-member Campaign Council shortly after the NEC meeting, with Secondus named as chairman of the Council.

    Atiku is co-chairman of the Council while former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is co deputy chairman.

    Also yesterday, the PDP inaugurated its Presidential campaign council with Secondus as chairman and Atiku as co-chair man.

    Other members of the Council are the governors elected on the platform of the party, the party’s principal officers of the National Assembly, all the presidential aspirants that contested with Atiku, former Ministers, former principal officers of the National Assembly, members of the National Working Committee of the PDP, among others.

    At the inauguration of the campaign council, Secondus charged the team to brace up for the challenges ahead, adding that the task was to sell the agenda of the PDP across the entire country.