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Tag: Atiku Abubakar

  • Presidential poll: Atiku is a Nigerian, says Yakasai

    Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, a former Adviser to the late Second Republic President Shehu Aliyu Shagari, has said the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is a Nigerian citizen who is qualified to contest for any position in the country.

    Yakasai was reacting to recent application by the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) at the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal that Atiku was unfit to contest for the office of the President of Nigeria in this year’s presidential election because he is Cameroonian.

    In a statement in Kano, the former member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the defunct All People’s Party (APP) berated APC for referring to Atiku as a non-Nigerian.

    He said: “It is, therefore, strange for leaders of the ruling party in Nigeria, the APC, to claim that former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar is not qualified to seek to be the President of Nigeria.

    “This is a display of ignorance of the highest order on Atiku’s status, as enshrined in our Constitution. In fact, APC is the least among political parties in Nigeria to make such unpatriotic statement.

    “There are people sponsored by the party who contested and won elections to elective offices and are today occupying such positions. Atiku is equally or even better qualified to hold any public office in Nigeria than some of such people.”

    The elder statesman also recalled that, “before October 1, 1960, both Southern and Northern Cameroons were trusteeship territories under Nigeria, in accordance with Article 76(b) of the United Nations Trusteeship Agreement of 1946.

    Read also: Kanu: I’m vindicated about Atiku’s birth place

    “This situation dates back to the period of World War I. Prior to that war, some parts of the old Adamawa Emirate were occupied by Germans. Southern and Northern Cameroons were parts of the territories colonised by the Germans along with Togoland, Tanganyika, Southwest Africa, which we now call Namibia.

    “That was after the partition of Africa in 1884/1885. After the conquest of Germany in 1919, territories under German occupation were taken over by the newly formed League of Nations and were assigned to different colonial powers as Mandated Territories. Tanganyika, Southwest Africa and Southern and Northern Cameroons were mandated to Britain.

    “Citizens of the mandated territories were accorded the same rights and privileges as citizens of the colonies. Britain decided to administer its mandated Cameroons as part of Nigeria. Their citizens of the colonial mandated territories had the same rights and privileges as citizens of colonial Nigeria.”

    Yakasai added: “In 1946, with the demise of the League of Nations and the emergence of the United Nations (UN), the Mandated Territories were taken over by the new world body and reassigned to the same colonial powers as Trusteeship Territories. Still Britain continued with administrative structures of the territories as same.

    “Before Nigerian independence, many citizens of the trusteeship territories held important public offices at federal and regional levels in Nigeria. Other than the fact, they were elected members of parliament and regional Houses of Assembly, making laws for Nigeria, holding Nigerian international passport. They also served, among others, as Nigeria’s Federal and regional ministers and other civil service and public offices in the country.

    “After independence, they decided their future in plebiscites. Those in the Eastern Region chose to merge with the Republic of Cameroon, while those in the North decided to remain with Nigeria. The area of Northern Cameroon after the plebiscite was declared as the 13th Province of northern Nigeria.

    “The province chose a name for itself. The name adopted was Sardauna Province. Jada, together with other areas formally known as Northern Cameroon Province, now became known as Sardauna Province.”

    The former presidential adviser insisted that Atiku was eligible for any elective position in Nigeria by virtue of his citizenship.

    He said: “Atiku is an indigene of Adamawa whose father was an indigene of Sokoto and his mother a bona fide indigene of Adamawa. Many indigenes born before and after him have been accorded full recognition as Nigerians”

  • I’m vindicated on Atiku’s birth place, says Nnamdi Kanu

    Leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu has said the claim by All Progressives Congress (APC) to the effect that presidential candidate of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubarkar is not a Nigerian but a Cameroonian has vindicated him.

    Addressing his members through his broadcast on Radio Biafra, Kanu said: “The headline ‘Atiku Is Not a Nigerian, APC Tells Tribunal’ is vindication that everything I say on Radio Biafra is the truth. It may appear outlandish and unbelievable at first, but eventually history always vindicates me.

    “As everyone can see very clearly, it is unambiguously stated that for you to become the president of Nigeria, you must be born a Nigerian. Simply put, your birth certificate or any official notation must say clearly that you are a Nigerian. As at the time Atiku was born, his citizenship on his birth certificate read Cameroonian”.

    He described the 1999 Constitution as amended as clearly defective because those who crafted it were neither philosophers, social scientists, thinkers nor constitutional experts.

     According to Kanu, the argument by some people that if Atiku was a Cameroonian, he could have been the Comptroller of Customs and Vice President will not hold water as Section 131(a) of the Constitution was clear on who should be the president of the country.

    He said that “The incontrovertible truth is that His Excellency Alhaji Atiku Abubakar the former Vice President of Nigeria for eight years, became a Nigerian by virtue of the referendum of the 11th of February 1961.

    “He was not born a Nigerian and as such he became a Nigerian as a result of the British organised plebiscite held in British Cameroons to give the people of Adamawa, where Atiku comes from, the opportunity to choose where they would like to belong.

     “When I first raised this issue, which incidentally has been ignored by all arms of government including INEC whose duty it is to ensure that candidates meet all stipulated constitutional requirements, it was not to insinuate or imply that Atiku is not a Nigerian, but rather to highlight the very constitutionally critical point at the heart of IPOB agitation for Biafra independence; which is that asking for a referendum is never a crime in any law known to man.

     “Therefore if Adamawa people can be allowed to freely choose where they wish to belong, then justice and equity dictates that we the people of Biafra must be allowed to do the same. This point that is lost on Justice Binta Nyako and numerous other semi-literate judges handling IPOB cases today in Nigerian courts.

    While lambasting Atiku’s defence team over what he described as their weak and porous argument that if Atiku was not a Nigerian he wouldn’t have become Nigeria’s vice-president, lived, invested and paid tax in the country for years as a citizen, the IPOB leader said by virtue of relevant section of Nigeria, anybody born in Adamawa between 1946 when Atiku was born to 1960, was not qualified to contest election as president of Nigeria.

    READ ALSO: Nnamdi Kanu: A continuing tragedy

     “This is a wholly unnecessary digression that failed to address the constitutional question of place of birth as key qualification for anybody seeking to become the president of Nigeria. That Atiku was the Vice President is not the issue at hand but rather his suitability as defined by the constitution of Nigeria.

    “With this ridiculous born in Nigeria requirement, nobody born in present day Adamawa before 1961 or those of us born in Biafra from 1967 to 1970 can ever vie for the office of the president of Nigeria.

    “Atiku Abubakar was born on November 25, 1946 in Jada, now Adamawa State, then in Northern Cameroon, was a citizen of Cameroon but now a Nigerian by plebiscite. This information has always been in the public domain. What I did was just to flag it.

    “The only part that can be said that I pioneered is that “Atiku became a Nigerian citizen by the sheer force of Referendum which is what I want for Biafra. I wanted to prove to some ignorant Nigerians and their quack judges that asking for a referendum is not treasonable felony,” the IPOB leader said.

  • Facts and lies collide

    It’s true that facts don’t lie. But it looks like the website called www. factsdontlieng.com lied concerning the votes Atiku Abubakar, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, polled in the February 23 presidential election. In his petition to the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, Atiku claimed he won the election based on results obtained from the website.

    But the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in its response, said “the website described as www.factsdontlieng. com was neither created nor owned” by it.  INEC added that it “does not share information with such an unclassified entity.” The commission also said “any information purportedly derived there from which does not accord with the result as declared by INEC is not authentic but rather was invented for the purpose of this case.”

    Contrary to Atiku’s claim that he polled 18,356,732 votes  in the presidential election,  INEC’s  Director,  Information and Communications Technology, Chidi Nwafor, said President Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate,  “was duly elected by majority of the lawful votes cast at the presidential election and scored at least one-quarter of the lawful votes cast at the election in 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, more than two-third of all the states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.”

    Nwafor added that Atiku “did not win the majority of the lawful votes cast and did not satisfy the mandatory constitutional requirement to be declared winner having polled 11,262,978 and one quarter of all lawful votes cast in 29 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja” as against Buhari “who scored 15,191,847 votes cast and one quarter of the lawful votes cast in 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.”

    It’s clear that Atiku and INEC are not on the same page. It’s unclear how the said factsdontlieng.com got its own version of the presidential election result. It’s also unclear why Atiku chose to rely on the website for the presidential election result.  Who runs factsdontlieng.com?  Where did the website get its figures from? Can the website prove that its version of the presidential election result is authentic?  Why does Atiku believe the website is more believable than INEC?

    It’s true that lies aren’t facts. In this case, facts and lies collide. When there is such a collision, lies die first.  Facts will always win in a clash with lies. It remains to be seen whether Atiku can prove that factsdontlieng.com is more credible than INEC.

  • Security agencies probe Atiku’s alleged plot to stop Buhari’s inauguration

    Security agencies are probing alleged plot by the defeated presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, to prevail on the United States to recognise him as the ‘authentic President’ of Nigeria.

    The agencies are already on the trail of members of the Atiku Deservation Group behind the printing and distribution of the defeated candidate’s posters in some parts of the country.

    The posters bore the inscription PUKKA, which in Hindi and Urda figuratively means ”fully formed”, “solid”, “permanent”, “for real” or “sure, authentic, genuine, solid and excellent”.

    It was learnt that the security agencies are working on a theory that some groups loyal to Atiku were out for subversive activities against Buhari administration.

    A part of the plot was to lobby members of the inner circle of President Donald Trump and the US Congress to delay its recognition of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The agenda was said to be an attempt to stop the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari on May 29.

    Despite denial by Atiku and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), The Cable, an online news medium, yesterday claimed to have confirmed the payment of $30,000 by Atiku to a lobbying firm to “defeat” what it called “flagrant violence and irregularities orchestrated” by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Buhari to compromise the presidential election.”

    According to a top source, the government does not treat the intelligence at its disposal on the engagement of the US firm, Fein & DelValle PLLC, with levity.

    The source said: “The whole script is about subversive plot against the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. Security agencies picked up some intelligence and they are already investigating individuals and groups connected with it.

    “It is not a case of crying wolf or an attempt to intimidate Atiku. Some clues were presented to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday. In fact, about eight ministers contributed to the issue to underscore the gravity of the case at hand.

    Read also: Oga Buhari, lamentation time has elapsed!

    “It was a resolution of FEC that the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, should alert the nation through a media briefing.”

    Responding to a question, the source added: “What we have at hand points to a semblance of treasonable felony, but security agencies are probing it.

    “They are also on the trail of groups and individuals connected with this fresh plot against the government.”

    When asked of the nature of the intelligence at the disposal of the government, Mohammed said: “You do not expect me to disclose this.”

    Meanwhile, The Cable claimed yesterday to have confirmed that Atiku paid $30,000 to Fein & DelValle PLLC, a US firm.

    It said the PDP presidential candidate “sought the services of the company in his bid to unseat President Muhammadu Buhari.”

    The newspaper said: “The Centre for Responsive Politics (CRP) had reported how Atiku hired Bruce Fein, a former official of the US justice department, and his firm Fein & DelValle PLLC, in March.

    “In its terms and conditions for representation, Fein & DelValle PLLC had said it would establish and operate a situation room located in its Capitol Hill offices in the US and enlist the services of Lloyd Ukwu, a Nigerian barrister and trusted confidant of Atiku, to assist in the operation of the situation room.

    “The firm also proposed to execute strategies to secure the US endorsement of Atiku’s efforts to defeat what it called “flagrant violence and irregularities orchestrated” by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Buhari to compromise the presidential election.

    “Twenty-four hours after the report was published, Atiku denied paying money to US consultants in his bid to dislodge Buhari, his main rival in the February 23 election.

    “But documents seen by The cable showed that Atiku paid the money to the firm two days after signing a 90-day contract (April 1, 2019 to July 1, 2019). He signed the contract on March 24 and paid the money on March 26.

    “The amount was budgeted for costs and expenses for the 90-day period. In addition, the agreement was for Atiku to separately pay all pre-approved international travels, business class.

    “According to a document received by the United States’ department of justice foreign agents’ registration act (FARA), with registration number 6654, on April 2, Fein & DelValle, PLLC, registered as a foreign agent for Atiku and the PDP on March 20.

    “FARA is a disclosure statute that requires persons acting as agents of foreign principals in a political or quasi-political capacity to make periodic public disclosure of their relationship with the foreign principal, as well as activities, receipts and disbursements in support of those activities.

    “The firm said it received $30,000 from Atiku on March 26, which was confirmed in item 9(a) under the financial information clause of the registration statement.

    “In item 9(b), the firm made it clear that it did not receive any other thing of value other than money from Atiku.

    “The lobbyist firm, a registered and active corporate law firm in the US, stated that the agreement with Atiku is in a formal written document.”

    In an interview with NAN, the Executive Director of the Deservation group, Dr. Sani Adamu, justified the theme of PUKKA.

    He claimed that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the PDP in the just concluded presidential election is Nigeria’s authentic president.

    Reminded that Atiku already has a case before the presidential election petition tribunal, Adamu expressed confidence that Abubakar would get justice at the tribunal.

    NAN said a search on the web address (www.deservation.org) shows Atiku Deservation Movement (Project 774 for Atiku 2019) with RC 1167591 with the contact Magaji/Sanda Ward Yola South Adamawa State as well as phone number and a mail address.

  • APC to tribunal: Atiku not Nigerian by birth

    THE All Progressives Congress (APC) told the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja yesterday that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had no candidate in the last presidential election. Responding to the petition filed by Atiku and the PDP challenging the victory of the APC candidate President Muhammadu Buhari in the election, the ruling party contended that by fielding Atiku, “a non-Nigerian by birth”, the PDP cannot claim to have had a candidate in the last presidential election.

    The party argued that by virtue of not being a Nigerian by birth, Atiku, a former Vice President, was not qualified to contest the last presidential election.

    It contended that by Section 131(a) of the Constitution, a person must be a citizen of Nigeria by birth to be qualified to contest the office of the President of the country.

    The party noted that Atiku was born on November 25, 1946 in Jada, now Adamawa State, then in Northern Cameroon, “and is, therefore, a citizen of Cameroon.”

    APC made the argument in its reply to the petition filed by Atiku and the PDP before the presidential election petition tribunal in Abuja.

    It said Atiku (listed as 1st petitioner in the petition) “had no right to be voted for and returned in the election to the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria held on Saturday 23 February, 2019, having regard to the clear provision of Section 131(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFRN) 1999 as amended, which unequivocally stipulates inter alia, that for a person to be qualified for election to the office of President, he must be a citizen of Nigeria by birth.

    “The 1st petitioner is not a citizen of Nigeria by birth and ought not to have even been allowed, in the first place, to contest the election.

    “From available records, the lst petitioner was born on the 25th November, 1946 in Jada, Adamawa, in Northern Cameroon, and is therefore a citizen of Cameroon.

    “His father was Garba Atiku Abdulkadir, who died In December, 1957. Prior to 1919, Cameroon was being administered by Germany. “But following the defeat of Germany in World War I, which ended in 1918, Cameroon became a League of Nations mandate territory which was split into French Cameroons and British Cameroons In 1919.

    Read also: Security agencies probe Atiku’s alleged plot to stop Buhari’s inauguration

    “British Cameroons was administered by the British from neighbouring Nigeria.

    “In 1961, a plebiscite was held in British Cameroons to determine whether the people preferred to stay in Cameroon or align with Nigeria. “While Northern Cameroon preferred a union with Nigeria, Southern Cameroon chose alignment with the mother country.

    “The transition took place on June 1, 1961. It was as a result of that plebiscite that Northern Cameroon, which included Adamawa, became a part of Nigeria, and by derivation, the 1st petitioner became a citizen of Nigeria, but not by birth.

    “The 1st petitioner, therefore, contrary to the assertion in Paragraph 1 of their petition, had no right to be voted for as a candidate in the election to the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria held on 23rd February, 2019 across Nigeria.”

    The party added that by reason of Atiku not having qualified to contest the election, all votes purportedly cast for the petitioners at the 23 February, 2019 election and as subsequently declared by INEC on the 27th of February 2019, are wasted votes.

    In a preliminary objection raised by the party, the APC contended that the tribunal lacked the jurisdiction to countenance greater portion of the petition by Atiku and his party on the grounds that the claim contained therein, which relates to the challenge of the qualification of its candidate (Muhammadu Burai) was statute barred.

    It added that by the provision of section 31(5) and (6) of the Electoral Act and Section 285(9) of the Constitution, the election tribunal was not the appropriate forum to litigate such claim.

    The APC noted that before the election, INEC posted on its notice boards personal information of candidates for the public to see. It argued that since the petitioners did not challenge what they felt was wrong in Buhari’s qualification at the pre-election state, they cannot raise the issues now.

    It said: “The petitioners failed and or neglected to challenge the validity of the 2nd respondent’s claim regarding his education qualification as contained in the Form CF001 submitted to INEC before the election.

    “The petitioners have waived their right (if any) to challenge the propriety of the information contained in the INEC Form CF001 duly submitted to INEC.”

    The APC, while asserting its victory at the election, noted that by the election results released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and as contained in its (INEC’s) website, the PDP and its candidate did not win the election as claimed by the petitioners.

    As against the claim by the petitioners that they had access to INEC’s website, the APC said on its part, it never had access to INEC website at any time.

    The party denied all the allegations raised by the petitioners and faulted the allegations made against Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, service chiefs, military personnel and other security personnel, who were not made parties to the petition. It faulted the competence of the entire petition and prayed the tribunal to dismiss it for being incompetent.

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  • Govt warns Atiku against self-help

    The Federal Government yesterday warned Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar against resorting to self-help over the outcome of the February 23 election.

    It asked Atiku to realise that the only lawful channel for challenging the result of an election is the court.

    Any act capable of triggering a crisis will not be condoned, the government said.

    The government said it was absurd that Atiku had hired a lobbying firm to convince the United States not to recognise the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari until the Supreme Court has ruled on the suit he filed. Atiku has denied this.

    It said having lost by almost four million (4m) votes, it was  unfortunate that Atiku is seeking US recognition as the winner of the election.

    To the government, it is unfortunate that Atiku is thinking of replicating the Venezuelan model in Nigeria.

    The government made its position known at a briefing in Abuja by Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed, which was attended by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu.

    Mohammed said: “As you must have noticed in recent times, posters bearing the picture of former Vice President and the presidential candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, with the inscription: ‘’THE PUKKA, H.E. ATIKU ABUBAKAR, THE REAL AND THE RIGHT’’, have surfaced across major streets in Abuja.

    “The appearance of these posters coincide with the media report  that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has hired a US lobbying firm to convince the United States not to recognise the re-election of President Buhari until the Supreme Court has ruled on the suit by the PDP presidential candidate

    “The posters and the hiring of U.S. lobbyists, the latest of such by the PDP candidate, have triggered questions about what Alhaji Abubakar is up to. Is he starting a fresh campaign after the elections have been won and lost?

    ”Has he rescinded his decision to challenge the results of the presidential election in court, perhaps after realising that the results he claimed to have obtained from the INEC back server are cooked? Is he now going for self-help? What really is Atiku’s motive?

    “Gentlemen, we are aware of media reports that the PDP presidential candidate on Wednesday distanced himself from the posters that are circulating in Abuja. He also reportedly denied hiring U.S. lobbyists, claiming tongue-in-cheek that the APC fabricated the report.

    “If the media reports are right, it means that the former Vice President has suddenly realised the grave implication of his actions, hence has decided to beat a quick retreat before it is too late.

    “As a self-avowed democrat, he should realise that the only lawful channel for challenging the result of an election is through the courts. Resorting to self-help, as he seems to be doing now, is an act of desperation and the consequences are dire.”

    The Federal Government described Atiku’s plot to replicate the Venezuelan model in Nigeria as sheer daydreaming.

    Mohammed added:  “There is no doubt that the PDP presidential candidate, out of desperation, is thinking of replicating the Venezuelan model right here in Nigeria. But he should realise that Nigeria is not Venezuela, and that the situations in both countries are not the same.

    “President Muhammadu Buhari won the Feb. 23rd 2019 presidential elections fair and square, with a margin of 3,928,869 million votes. The election’s credibility was attested to by local and foreign observers.

    “There is no doubt that President Buhari’s victory is well- deserved. As I said at a different forum, it represents the triumph of the ordinary Nigerians over the elite.

    “The election is a direct contest between ordinary Nigerians and the elite, most of whom are rent seekers. Of course, the ordinary Nigerians have won. This is not a surprise, considering the pro-poor policy of the Administration.

    “Despite the antics of the naysayers, Nigerians demonstrated that they appreciate the giant strides that have been made by the administration; whether in the areas of economy, fight against corruption or in tackling insecurity.”

    Although the minister admitted that it is within the fundamental human rights of Atiku to go to court on the results of the Presidential Election, he cautioned him against seeking U.S. recognition as the winner of the poll.

    He said: “ Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has the right to do whatever is lawful to challenge the outcome of that election. But he cannot get through the back door what he couldn’t get through the front door. That will be a pipe dream.

    “ If he believes hiring a foreign lobbying firm will advance his quest, we wish him the best of luck. But seeking U.S. recognition as the winner of an election that he lost by almost four million votes is unconscionable.

    “Recall, gentlemen, that after the result of the presidential election was announced, the U.S. joined other countries to congratulate President Buhari.

    “Let me read a part of the statement by Michael Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State: ‘We commend all those Nigerians who participated peacefully in the election and condemn those whose acts of violence harmed Nigerians and the electoral process. We note the assessments of international and domestic observer missions affirming the overall credibility of the election, despite localised violence and irregularities.  Going forward, the United States remains committed to working together with Nigeria to achieve greater peace and prosperity for both our nations.’ I think that says it all.

    Mohammed said losing an election is not the end of the world and warned Atiku against resorting to self-help.

    He said: “Yes, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has lost an election. But he will not be the first or the last person to lose an election, and he should realise that losing an election is not the end of the world.

    “He has challenged the result of the election in court. That’s just as well. However, he should not give the impression that he does not have confidence in the judicial process, which is what resorting to self-help implies.

    “He should stop overheating the polity and quit trying to instigate a political crisis in Nigeria. No citizen, no matter how highly placed, is above the laws of the land. Enough is enough!”

    Responding to some questions, Mohammed added: “To answer your question, I won’t use the word as strong as treasonable felony. I will simply say that any act of  anybody capable of triggering local crisis will not be condoned by this government.

    “We are glad he has distanced himself from the posters. But we will want to sound a warning to him that elections are not a matter of life and death; that this country is greater than anybody’s ambition

    “To the question that whether or not we are trying to intimidate Atiku, I think he is the one trying to intimidate this government. A  government is not just there for elections, a government is there to preserve law and order and ensure that every citizen, no matter what his interest and rights are, is free to go about and achieve his or her aspirations.

    “But when you now overheat the polity and you behave as if the country is at war, no responsible government will sit by and overlook it.

    Read also: Atiku hails Fintiri’s election

    “Atiku has gone to court and the court process is on, what is the point of asking whether we will accept the verdict of the tribunal or not. Don’t forget, there is a process in Nigeria. If the tribunal pronounces one way or the other, you will appeal and go to the Supreme Court. The question of whether or not we will accept the verdict of the tribunal does not even arise. To me, his going to the tribunal is an exercise in futility. Look at the figures, look at the spread. We won fair and square. We have six zones and Buhari won comfortably in four of the zones.”

    The minister insisted that Buhari won the presidential poll based on his integrity and performance in office.

    He added: “This is a government that has done so much with less in restoring decency and integrity to governance. Like the New York Times said, the re-election of President Buhari is a referendum on honesty.

    “Of course you know that the policies of the administration endeared President Buhari to the ordinary Nigerians: The government feeds 9.3 million school children every day; 500,000 unemployed graduates have been employed under N-Power; 300,000 families are benefiting from the Conditional Cash Transfer; Interest-free loans of between N10,000 and N100,000 under the TraderMoni and the MarketMoni Schemes, respectively, to small business owners; Pensioners who have been left in the lurch are being paid – ex-workers of the Nigerian Airways, NITEL and former Biafran policemen; fight against corruption is being institutionalised with a number of policies that include Treasury Single Account (TSA) and the Whistle-blower policy that has led to the recovery of huge amounts of money as well as property from looters.”

     But the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar said he did not pay a United States lobby group $30, 000 to prevail on the US Congress to stop the May 29 inauguration of President Buhari.

    The Buhari Campaign Group had alleged that Atiku paid the group to push for his recognition as the winner of the February 23 presidential election.

    Reacting through his Media Adviser, Mr Paul Ibe, Atiku said the allegation was “diversionary”, adding that they are “shameless lies and dirty propaganda” against Atiku.

    In a statement, he said lying had become a culture of the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration and, the Atiku camp was not surprised by the diversionary allegations.

    The statement said: “Since Atiku resisted pressure not to go to court, the APC has been behaving like a cat on hot bricks  because the outcome of the 2019 elections has exposed and shattered the facade of their dubious integrity.

    “The APC are behaving nervously like a thief living under the fear of being exposed and shamed. They are now using fake news against Atiku instead of focusing on defending themselves in the court.

    “For a party that has broken the worst record in election rigging, the APC doesn’t have any iota of integrity to be taken seriously by anybody.

    “Atiku’s court case has become their biggest burden because it exposes their integrity as a sham, and instead of defending their stolen mandate in court, they are now using fake news to divert public attention from the historic electoral heist they have committed against Nigerians.”

    The statement added that no amount of diversionary propaganda and fake news campaign by APC will stop Atiku Abubakar from continuing the court action he started to reclaim the “stolen mandate”.

  • Atiku hails Fintiri’s election

    THE presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last general elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has hailed the election of Ahmadu Fintiri as governor of Adamawa State.

    A press statement from the former Vice President described Fintiri’s election as a dawn of a glorious new era for the state.

    He said he is particularly delighted that the PDP came victorious in the governorship election in his home state and that the decision of the vast majority of Nigerians to vote for the PDP signifies that the party is truly a party of the people.

    The statement reads: “My home state of Adamawa has chosen the Peoples Democratic Party to lead them. I am truly proud of this and let me assure you that you have chosen a leader with the zeal and determination to put Adamawa on the best path.

    “You have chosen a leader who appreciates Adamawa’s diversity and who will run an inclusive government for the betterment of all.”

    Atiku therefore congratulated the governor-elect for his resounding success at the polls, “in spite of the various antics of the ruling party to frustrate the wishes of the people in the state”.

    He added: “Our people have stood with Governor-elect Fintiri in the course of this election with an abiding commitment never to allow the power that be to rob them of their votes. I congratulate you on your election, while I also hail our people for making the right decision to choose you  as leader at this point in time.”

     

  • PDP accuses APC, Presidency of plots against Atiku

    The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Presidency of plots to frame up its presidential candidate in the February 23 presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

    The opposition party however said no amount of fabrications, attempt at set-up as well as veiled and open threats by the APC)-led Federal Government can stop Atiku from reclaiming his mandate at the tribunal.

    Atiku, who lost the election to incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, has gone to court to challenge the President’s re-election.

    In a statement Thursday by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party rejected a declaration by the  Presidency that Atiku Abubakar is “lucky to be walking free”,.

    It described the statement as inciting, adding that it has brought to the fore the unwholesome intention of the APC-led administration against Atiku Abubakar for seeking to retrieve his “stolen mandate” at the court.

    The PDP further noted what it termed series of orchestrated calumny against Atiku Abubakar and the PDP by agents of the Federal Government, officials of the Presidency and the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO).

    The main opposition party alleged well-coordinated plots against Atiku, including a resort to unfounded claims of links with a foreign lobby group.

    This, the PDP said, was part of attempts to frame Atiku up, cause tension and ultimately derail the recovery of the “stolen mandate” at the presidential election tribunal.

    “Such orchestration are also targeted at instilling fear, cause apprehension in the citizenry and create opening to further suppress genuine public opinion and the course of justice in the quest by Atiku Abubakar and the PDP to restore the will of the people.

    “Part of the motive is to use lies, fabrications, threats and sponsoring of Atiku campaign posters to portray Atiku Abubakar and the PDP as being desperate and ready to subvert the rules in the pursuit of our mandate; and by so doing discredit our candidate in the eyes of the judiciary and the public in general.

    “This explains why agents of the APC-led government fabricated and pushed into the public space, bogus and laughable claims that Atiku Abubakar paid $30,000 to a U.S. lobby group to assist in the quest to reclaim our mandate only for the Federal Government and the Presidency to turn around to feast on the fabrications with threats against Atiku Abubakar.

    “The PDP calls on Nigerians to take copious note of threats by the Presidency through the Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie, to jail Atiku Abubakar based on trumped up allegations, while describing him as “one who is lucky to be walking free”.

    “Nigerians now know who to hold responsible should any harm come to Atiku Abubakar, his family or any member of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation (PPCO) in the course of the pursuit of the mandate at the tribunal.

    “Moreover, it is instructive to state that the PDP and Atiku Abubakar do not need any foreign lobby group to prove our case before the tribunal as Nigerians themselves have been at the forefront of this pursuit, especially with our overwhelming evidence before the court.

    “The PDP therefore cautions the APC-led Federal Government to allow the tribunal to judiciously carry out its responsibilities without let or hindrance as well as stop their unrelenting plots to overheat the system and derail the course of justice as such will all come to naught”, the statement added.

     

  • PDP accuses APC, presidency of plots against Atiku

    The National Working Committee (NWC) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Presidency of plots to frame up its presidential candidate in the February 23 presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

    The opposition party however said no amount of fabrications, attempt at set-up as well as veiled and open threats by the (APC)-led Federal Government can stop Atiku from reclaiming his mandate at the tribunal.

    Atiku, who lost the election to incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, has gone to court to challenge the President’s re-election.

    In a statement Thursday by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party rejected a declaration by the  Presidency that Atiku Abubakar is “lucky to be walking free”,.

    It described the statement as inciting, adding that it has brought to the fore the unwholesome intention of the APC-led administration against Atiku Abubakar for seeking to retrieve his “stolen mandate” at the court.

    The PDP further noted what it termed series of orchestrated calumny against Atiku Abubakar and the PDP by agents of the Federal Government, officials of the Presidency and the Buhari Media Organization (BMO).

    Read Also: PDP tasks Buhari on rising insecurity

    The main opposition party alleged well-coordinated plots against Atiku, including a resort to unfounded claims of links with a foreign lobby group.

    This, the PDP said, was part of attempts to frame Atiku up, cause tension and ultimately derail the recovery of the “stolen mandate” at the presidential election tribunal.

    “Such orchestration are also targeted at instilling fear, cause apprehension in the citizenry and create opening to further suppress genuine public opinion and the course of justice in the quest by Atiku Abubakar and the PDP to restore the will of the people.

    “Part of the motive is to use lies, fabrications, threats and sponsoring of Atiku campaign posters to portray Atiku Abubakar and the PDP as being desperate and ready to subvert the rules in the pursuit of our mandate; and by so doing discredit our candidate in the eyes of the judiciary and the public in general.

    “This explains why agents of the APC-led government fabricated and pushed into the public space, bogus and laughable claims that Atiku Abubakar paid $30,000 to a US lobby group to assist in the quest to reclaim our mandate only for the Federal Government and the Presidency to turn around to feast on the fabrications with threats against Atiku Abubakar.

    “The PDP calls on Nigerians to take copious note of threats by the Presidency through the Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie, to jail Atiku Abubakar based on trumped up allegations, while describing him as “one who is lucky to be walking free”.

    “Nigerians now know who to hold responsible should any harm come to Atiku Abubakar, his family or any member of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organization (PPCO) in the course of the pursuit of the mandate at the tribunal.

    “Moreover, it is instructive to state that the PDP and Atiku Abubakar do not need any foreign lobby group to prove our case before the tribunal as Nigerians themselves have been at the forefront of this pursuit, especially with our overwhelming evidence before the court.

    “The PDP therefore cautions the APC-led Federal Government to allow the tribunal to judiciously carry out its responsibilities without let or hindrance as well as stop their unrelenting plots to overheat the system and derail the course of justice as such will all come to naught,” the statement added.

  • Atiku denies paying US lobby group $30,000 to stop Buhari’s inauguration

    The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last election, Atiku Abubakar has denied paying a United States lobby group $30, 000 to persuade the US Congress to stop the May 29 inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The Buhari Campaign Group had alleged that Atiku paid the group to push for his recognition as the winner of the February 23 presidential election, which he lost to incumbent President Buhari.

    In a statement yesterday by his media adviser, Mr Paul Ibe, the PDP candidate accused the Buhari group of fabricating what he described as “shameless lies and dirty propaganda” against Atiku. The statement said lying has become a culture to the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration and therefore, adding that the Atiku camp was not surprised by the latest diversionary allegations.

    It added that since Atiku resisted pressure not to go to court, the APC has been behaving like “a cat on hot bricks” because the outcome of the 2019 elections has exposed and shattered the facade of their “dubious integrity”.

    The statement said: “The APC are behaving nervously like a thief living under the fear of being exposed and shamed. They are now using fake news against Atiku instead of focusing on defending themselves in the court.

    “For a party that has broken the worst record in election rigging, the APC doesn’t have any iota of integrity to be taken seriously by anybody.

    “Atiku’s court case has become their biggest burden because it exposes their integrity as a sham, and instead of defending their stolen mandate in court, they are now using fake news to divert public attention from the historic electoral heist they have committed against Nigerians”.

    The statement added that no amount of diversionary propaganda and fake news campaign by APC will stop Atiku Abubakar from continuing the court action he started to reclaim the “stolen mandate”.