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Tag: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

  • PDP to Army chief: don’t drag military into politics

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai was yesterday cautioned against dragging the military into politics.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which gave the counsel, urged the Army chief to refrain from acts or actions that could suggest in any way that the military has become an arm of a political party.

    The opposition party faulted Buratai’s allusion to its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, as well as his threats to officers and ranks to execute the orders of President Muhammadu Buhari on ballot box snatchers.

    In a statement by its spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan, the opposition party describes the Army chief’s position as an aberration of the nation’s laws and a recipe for crisis.

    The PDP said that Atiku’s call on the military not to obey unlawful directive was in order and reflected the wishes of Nigerians, as such, he cannot be intimidated by anybody no matter how highly placed.

    The statement said: “Gen. Buratai is counselled to note that the loyalty of the military is to the state and that the President lacks the powers, under our laws, to deploy soldiers for the conduct of elections.

    “Our party urges Gen. Buratai to concentrate on his very demanding assignment of protecting the territorial integrity of our nation and ending insurgency rather than dabbling into partisan politics at the risk of our national cohesion.

    “It is imperative to state that by trying to drag the military to participate in the February 23 Presidential election, President Buhari plots to suspend our constitution, assume the position of an emperor, trigger unrest, subvert our electoral process and derail our democracy.

    “The party directs President Buhari to the judgment of the Federal High Court, Lagos on March 23, 2015, wherein the court, presided over by Justice Ibrahim Buba, directly outlawed the deployment of troops in the conduct of elections in our country.

    “President Buhari should also avail himself of the subsisting judgment of the Court of Appeal, which on February 15, 2015, held that the President has no powers to deploy soldiers in the conduct of elections.

    “The PDP further counsels President Buhari and Gen. Buratai to end their rationalising of military option, as the courts have summarily dismissed their arguments that soldiers are needed to guarantee peaceful elections.

    “It may interest President Buhari to know that the judgment was sequel to a suit filed by the APC Leader in the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, seeking a declaration that deployment of soldiers during elections is illegal and unconstitutional.

    “In case, President Buhari is not aware, as usual, the court directly held that ‘the Armed Forces have no role in elections’ and if soldiers must vote, they must do so in their barracks.”

    “In the said judgment, the court had said ‘the time has come for us to establish the culture of democratic rule in the country and to start to do the right thing particularly when it has to do with dealing with the electoral process, which is one of the pillars of democracy. In spite of the behaviour of the political class, we should by all means try to keep armed personnel and military from being a part and parcel of the electoral process. The state is obligated to confine the military to their very demanding assignment, especially in this time of insurgencies by keeping them out of elections’.

    The PDP alleged that priming of the military ahead of the elections has heightened fears of plots by the governing APC to plunge the nation into crisis and use security forces to subjugate Nigerians.

    It cautioned President Buhari not to use the military against innocent Nigerians.

  • PDP: Buhari, APC arm-twisting security, INEC to rig polls

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday accused President Muhammadu Buhari and the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of arm-twisting key stakeholders in the electoral process.

    It specifically listed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies as being arm-twisted to rig the rescheduled Saturday’s Presidenatial and National Assembly election for President Buhari and the ruling APC.

    At a media briefing in Abuja yesterday, PDP spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, accused the Presidency of launching ferocious plots with INEC and security agencies to ambush the rescheduled elections and foist Buhari on the nation.

    The PDP vowed to ensure that the “evil plots” of the “fear-stricken” Buhari and the APC come to naught.

    Commenting on the alleged plots, Ologbondiyan said, “Since the postponement, the Buhari Presidency and APC have been breathing down the neck of the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, in a desperate and feverish bid to consolidate their control of the operations of the commission and execute their rigging plot.”

    The PDP alleged that the ruling party rose from a late night meeting at the State House on Tuesday with a directive to Resident Electoral Commissioner (RECs) to give result sheets to APC agents to manipulate election results.

    “Intelligence at our disposal reveals that the INEC Chairman has succumbed to back channel bullying by the Buhari Presidency and APC to accede to their demand to replace Electoral Officers (EOs) in various critical states with APC agents who will vehemently execute President Buhari’s rigging plans in the February 23, presidential election.”

    The PDP claimed to have in custody the full details of Department of State Services (DSS) interference with operations of critical departments in INEC, including the ICT department.

    The party also claimed to have details of President Buhari’s Tuesday night meeting with some APC northern governors and Service Chiefs, where pressure was allegedly mounted on the Service Chiefs in connection with the APC rigging plans.

    Continuing, the PDP spokesman said: “We alert Nigerians that the INEC chairman has been intimidated with threat of ‘Onnoghen’s treatment’ to accept a list of APC members and agents and post them to serve as EOs in various states, including Kano, Kaduna, Rivers, Bauchi, Akwa-Ibom, Zamfara, Benue, Sokoto, Lagos, Plateau, Taraba, Borno, Adamawa, Kogi, Delta, Ebonyi among others.

    ”These APC EOs have been briefed to ensure the diversion of sensitive electoral materials from designated polling centres, delay the accreditation process, so as to frustrate voters’ enthusiasm, compromise the collation process to allocate and announce fictitious results for President Buhari and muddle up the process to pave way for result cancellation where it becomes impossible to rig.

    “The PDP stands with Nigerians in directly rejecting this latest arm-twisting of security agencies as well as the nefarious plots to use APC members as INEC Election Officers.

    “However, the PDP, in clear terms, assures INEC, compromised security agents and President Buhari that their evil plans will definitely come to naught.

    “The PDP, therefore, cautions INEC to immediately end its back channel links and disentangle itself from the Buhari Presidency or risk being on collision course with the Nigerian people.”

  • Rivers Women fear rights infringement

    Women of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State are afraid that the people’s rights will be infringed by security agencies during the elections.

    The coordinator, Mrs. Ukel Oyaghiri, who is also the Commissioner for Women Affairs, addressed reporters yesterday in Port Harcourt. According to her, the women were worried about the hate speeches by two chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the Presidency or security agencies did not call them to order.

    She said: “We are women, sisters, wives and mothers of Rivers State, fully conscious of our rights to elect our leaders in free, fair and credible elections, devoid of violence and intimidation.

    “Evidence abound that our rights are being infringed upon by the military and other security agencies. Threats are made publicly by APC chieftains. Yet, security agencies and the Federal Government that swore to defend us turn deaf ears to the impunity displayed brazenly.

    “On January 23, some leaders of the APC addressed a news press conference and issued a direct and specific threat that there will be no National Assembly, governorship and House of Assembly. This consistent pattern of threats has continued, while the APC and its leaders continue to publicly declare their intention to take the laws into their own hands and disrupt the elections.

    “As law-abiding citizens of Nigeria, we are concerned about the unlawful statement of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, ordering the military to shoot on sight anyone involved in ballot box snatching…

  • Ijebu monarchs: Kashamu is our beloved son

    Traditional rulers in Ijebu land have described the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Senator Buruji Kashamu, as a beloved son of Ijebu land.

    Two monarchs – the Lamodi of Ijebu-Isiwo, His Royal Highness, Oba Sikiru Adedoyin and the Aladeken of Oke-Ako in Ijebu-Ode Local Government Area, His Royal Highness, Oba Joshua Osunsami (J.P) – spoke when Kashamu visited them at their palaces.

    They hailed the senator for his foresight to put key policies and programmes in an undertaking, which he has been giving to traditional rulers across the state.

    Read also: Ogun PDP candidate Kashamu to fix Ota roads, others

    In the undertaking, which he elaborated on, Kashamu promised to allow local governments to enjoy full financial autonomy without deducting from their monthly allocations.

    This, he said, would engender grassroots developments.

    The senator also committed himself to addressing the issues of cooperative deductions and contributory pensions without a view to allowing the will of the workers to prevail.

    The PDP candidate also said Micro Small Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMSEs) would be encouraged to thrive through the facilitation of microfinance and community banks that would advance revolving facilities to entrepreneurs at zero interest rate.

  • Buhari’s order to shoot ballot-box snatchers, invitation to anarchy – PDP Chieftain

    Chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State, Honourable Kennedy Eyube, has said that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s order to the military to shoot ballot-box snatchers in the forthcoming general elections, was an invitation to anarchy.

    Ayube, a former House of Representatives Candidate for Okpe Sapele Uvwie Federal Constituency under the All Progress Congress APC, said the order by the President may also lead to war.

    The PDP chieftain who spoke to journalists in Warri said Nigeria has laws stipulated in the Constitution to deal with electoral offenders.

    While wondering why a president of a country should order the military to kill the people he swore to defend, Eyube added that the president’s directive was a disgrace to the nation, calling on the president to withdraw the order.

    He urged security personnel to ignore the president’s order and follow due process while dealing with fellow Nigerians who might have committed any electoral offence.

    Eyube said that the order might be an attempt to justify and cage opposition leaders during the election and tag them as ballot Box Snatchers.

    “Nigerians are tired of Buhari Government because there is too much killings. He knows they will not vote for him. That is reason for all these. If not how can a president want to kill his own people?” Eyube queried.

    Honourable Eyube said that despite the attempt by Mr President to threaten Nigerians so that his party can have a field day during the election, Nigerians are resolute in voting for the PDP in the general election.

    “During the PDP administration a bag of rice was N8,000 and a litre of fuel was N87 naira. But today, under the APC government a bag of rice is about N25,000 and a litre of fuel is N145 naira. So Nigerians are tired of the APC government. They want to change the change by 23 March 2019 by voting out the APC,” Eyube said.

    Eyube also lauded the developmental stride of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, saying Governor Okowa has turned the state into a ‘Construction Site,’ adding “if you are going to Asaba from Ughelli you will see the massive works going on. So I don’t see any other candidate other than Okowa.

    “For this reason and other reasons Okpe Local Government is 100% in support PDP and the people are going to give Governor Okowa and PDP 5/5 in the forthcoming general elections”, he said.

  • Election: PDP advises Buratai not to drag Military into politics

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has advised the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai not to drag the Military into politics.

    Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan gave the advice in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

    Ologbondiyan, who is also the Director, Media and Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation urged Buratai to refrain himself from acts or actions that would suggest in any way that the military had become an arm of a political party.

    He said that Buratai’s allusion to the PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar as well as his threats to officers and ranks to participate in the electoral process was an aberration of the laws.

    He said that Abubakar spoke on the side of the law and to respect the wishes of Nigerians so could not be intimidated by anybody.

    Ologbondiyan said that the loyalty of the military was to the state and that the president did not have the power to deploy soldiers for the conduct of elections.

    “Our party urges Gen. Buratai to concentrate on his very demanding assignment of protecting the territorial integrity of our nation and ending insurgency rather than dabbling into partisan politics at the risk of our national cohesion.”

    He said that the judgment of the Federal High Court, Lagos on March 23, 2015, presided over by Justice Ibrahim Buba, had directly outlawed the deployment of troops in the conduct of elections in the country.

    He also adviced the president to note the subsisting judgment of the Court of Appeal, which on Feb. 15, held that the President had no powers to deploy soldiers in the conduct of elections.

    Ologbondiyan said that the courts had summarily dismissed the arguments that soldiers were needed to guarantee peaceful elections.

    “It may interest the President to know that the judgment was sequel to a suit filed by the APC Leader in the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, seeking a declaration that deployment of soldiers during elections is illegal and unconstitutional.

    “The court directly held that “the Armed Forces have no role in elections” and if soldiers must vote, they must do so in their barracks.”

    Ologbondiyan stressed the need not to corrupt the patriotism of the military and use them against innocent Nigerians, “whose only demand is for a free, fair and credible election”.

    He urged the international community to monitor the country’s electoral process. (NAN)

  • Election: PDP, APC disagree over Obot Akara mayhem in A’ Ibom

    The Ikot Ekpene Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of masterminding the attack at Obot-Akara Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

    Two people were killed while 13 INEC vehicles meant for election duties were set ablaze.

    APC alleged that the PDP in the state on Saturday before the cancellation of the polls allegedly hired armed thugs from Cross River and Rivers States to cause havoc and unleash the mayhem in Obot Akara.

    Chapter Chairman of the party, Mr Etebong Udoh, while speaking with our reporter accused some stakeholders from the area, including the serving Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mr Monday Uko, member House of Assembly, Idongesit Ntekpere and the Local Government Chairman, Mr Anietie Akpaetor of hiring armed thugs to unleash the mayhem

    He said ”it is the PDP that is to blame for the crisis that happened in our community. Some of the thugs arrested by the police confessed that they were hired by the PDP leaders in the community”

    Reacting to the allegations the Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Mr Monday Ebong Uko accused men of the Nigeria Police force of shielding miscreants who perpetrated act of violence in Obot Akara on the eve of the postponed presidential elections.

    Uko said the police had earlier been alerted of plans by APC to hire thugs for the elections, but took no proactive step to arrest the situation before it escalated.

    He said “Credible intelligence from reliable sources reveal that a plot has been hatched to plant incriminating items in my premises and car in order to arrest and detain me. Also, there is another plot to hire some thugs who will be arrested with arms and on interrogation name me as their sponsor”.

    Uko explained that the reported violence in Obot Akara occurred when some thugs allegedly sponsored by the APC, attacked INEC office in Obot Akara, venting their frustration on some INEC buses, and setting them ablaze.

    Describing Obot-Akara as a PDP stronghold, Mr. Uko, said members of the opposition were very much aware of this fact, hence their resort to violence.

    “I want to call on the Inspector General of Police and indeed the entire security agencies in the country not to allow themselves to be used by desperate APC politicians who will stop at nothing than to tarnish my hard-earned reputation.

    “I request them to conduct a thorough investigation to fish out the perpetrators of this heinous crime, with a view to bring them to book and exonerating those who are innocent”.

    “Is it not astonishing that it could even be contemplated that the PDP, that is in complete control of Obot Akara could turn around to attack an electoral process when it is sure of victory”

  • PDP, Presidency clash over Buhari’s directive

    THE Presidency yesterday joined issues with the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the opposition party’s position on ballot box snatchers.

    At the PDP National Executive Council (NEC), its presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and National Chairman Uche Secondus urged the military and other security agencies not to obey presidential order asking them to deal ruthlessly with ballot box snatchers.

    But the Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, Garba Shehu, said President Buhari’s remark on ballot snatchers had unsettled the PDP.

    The party chieftains described the order as unlawful and insisted that there are enough provisions in the nation’s laws for the prosecution of ballot box snatchers.

    Speaking at a national caucus meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja on Monday, President Buhari had said: “Anybody who decides to snatch boxes or lead thugs to disrupt the election, may be that would be the last unlawful action you would take. “I have given the military and police the order to be ruthless. I am going to warn anybody who thinks he would lead a body of thugs in his locality to snatch boxes or to disturb the voting system; he would do it at the expense of his/her own life”.

    Atiku and Secondus cautioned the President.

    The PDP presidential candidate said: “It’s shocking for any head of state to utter such words in a democracy and that Nigerians should not accept it from President Buhari.”

    He accused the President of failing to uphold the rule of law, describing the suspension of Justice Walter Onnoghen as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) as unconstitutional.

    Atiku said: “When you people are talking about democracy, I have always said that Gen. Muhammadu Buhari is not a democrat, he has never been a democrat. We started the fight to drive the military, he was never there; he never participated. You can see that he just wore the garb of democracy so that he can come back to power.”

    According to him, Nigerians should be allowed to elect the candidate of their choice, saying: “You owe it to the people to let them give their verdict in the same way that you were elected.

    “If you do so and if you win, then the people will commend you for it. Otherwise, history will condemn you for it.”

    Secondus carpeted the President for making such remark.

    He said: “By that directive, ordering soldiers to kill our citizens without recourse to the law and with impunity, the President has unwittingly given license to APC leaders to carry military personnel on Saturday.

    “The agenda of that directive is clear; to scare away voters and agents, that we have directed to defend their votes, so as to give way to a military-protected political thugs to come into the polling booths, and implement their result replacement strategy.”

    Secondus said the President ought to have signed the amended Electoral Act Bill to demonstrate his commitment to free and free elections.

    The party chair insisted on non-deployment of military or paramilitary units to electoral duties, as, according to him, elections are civil activities, which the police are best trained to handle.

    He also sought assurances from the Federal Government that all communication assets – fixed and mobile, including the Internet, will not be interrupted or compromised during the elections.

    The party chair similarly urged adherence to steps taken by the government to safeguard the conduct of the elections, including restriction of movements and closure of the nation’s borders with the Republics of Chad and Niger.

    The meeting, which lasted several hours, was attended by PDP stakeholders, including governors, federal lawmakers, former cabinet ministers and members of the Board of Trustees.

  • Atiku confirmed PDP is working with INEC, says Oshiomhole

    TO All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has vindicated the ruling party’s claim that the opposition was working with some officials of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to compromise the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    Oshiomhole, who addressed reporters last night, said it had become clearer that the only mission of the PDP candidate “is to cause confusion in the electoral system so that he will become President even it means presiding over graves”.

    According to him, only those who want to deploy thugs to undermine the elections will oppose and find fault with the statement of the President aimed at discouraging thuggery during the election.

    Oshiomhole said the attention of the international community at the moment is that elections across the world should be violent-free and assured that the forthcoming elections will be conducted in a free and fair atmosphere.

    He said: “It is only those who believe in thuggery that will find fault with the President’s directive. Is there anyone that would want to vote for thuggery? Is there any thug that is not armed? You cannot snatch ballot box without the aid of firearms. So, when the international community is talking about violence-free election, they are saying the election should be free of thuggery.

    “You can see that the PDP is not at home with that because they imported thuggery, institutionalised it and have always fallen back on it as instrument of rigging and to dominate the electorates. So, we debunk any attempt by Atiku to change the essence of the President’s statement.

    “I believe the President spoke the kind of the average Nigerian who wants to go and vote and come home in peace without fear of being attacked. You know that thuggery is synonymous with violence and the world is unanimous that violence should be removed from election.

    Atiku’s rejection exposes PDP for what they are. Their plan is to deploy thugs so that the election will be impossible or reduce voter turnout.

    “To say that the APC imported card reader is laughable and that the card readers have been deployed to the Southsouth and Southeast. The implication of this is, assuming it is true without conceding, it means that Atiku is working hand in hand with the ICT unit in INEC to know the kind of machines that are deployed to where.

    “Recognising that INEC is Independent, we are not able to know the kind of card readers INEC is deploying or where they were imported from. But if Atiku has all of these details, it can only mean that he is working hand in hand with people within INEC to know where machines are imported from and the fact that card readers can be programmed otherwise.

    “We are not like a stammers who look for a fight because they cannot win an argument. We believe that the electorates are ready to vote for us and we want those votes to take place in a free and fair atmosphere.

    “I think that Nigerians should be united when it comes to the issue of a free and fair election. Our candidate is saddled with the responsibility for peace and security of Nigerians. He has the duty to ensure that the live of the Nigerian electorate is protected as well as those of the observers. That is the responsibility of the Commander-in-Chief.”

    Read also: EFCC detains Atiku’s man over $4m cash haul

    “So, if Atiku finds fault in this, if anybody is pro thuggery, we are against thuggery and we are against violence. The International community should properly decode Atiku’s statement sling the president to withdraw his threat not against the electorates, but against would be thugs or merchants of violence.

    “As far as I am concern, Atiku knows that he can’t win. In 2003 elections, he lost his base in Adamawa. He is on record to have procured a senatorial seat for Prof. Jibrin Aminu. If he wants to go to court, I will meet him there and I will produce the first INEC documented report that announced the winners of those senatorial seats.”

    The APC chair predicted that the PDP candidate will lose in his Adamawa home state.

    “We are ready for the elections and by the grace of God, Nigerians will vote for us and Atiku will remain a permanent presidential candidate which Nigerians never had,” Oshiomhole said.

    Reacting to the reports credited to Atiku and the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, Oshiomhole said: “This afternoon, we monitored the statement by the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar and the PDP national chairman, Uche Secondus in which they tried to distort the message which of the President who reassured Nigerians that he has given appropriate directive to security agents to ensure that Saturday election is free and fair.

    “From the response of the PDP candidate, it is clear that they have already conceded defeat. First, he claimed that he has two stronghold which he identified as Southsouth and Southeast. That is not true because I come from the Southsouth and we are not voting Atiku. We have since dismantled the PDP machine in Edo state and Edo is the heart beat of the Nation.

    “Even If you take the statement in its face value, if Atiku concedes that out of six geopolitical zones, he has support not in his own zone, but Southsouth and Southeast, the voting population in these two zones are not enough to deliver the presidency to any candidate in Nigeria.”

    According to him, every peace-loving Nigerian and those who wish Nigeria are yearning for fair and violent-free elections.

    He said: “What the President said and we are proud that he has courage to say it that he has asked security agents to create an enabling environment for Nigerians to out and vote without fear that thugs will attack them and that security agents are going to put thugs in check. No peace loving Nigerian can find fault with that,” Oshiomhole said.

    Recalling how thugs were used to rig elections when Atiku held the forte as vice president, the APC chair said: “I think it does expose PDP for what they are. Atiku as vice president to Obasanjo was there in 2003 when people were killed by thugs. In my election in 2007, three young men were shut down by PDP thugs at Oba Primary school. So, no responsible candidate will find fault with any pronouncement that tends to discourage thuggery in the coming elections.

    “For a man who is aspiring to preside over Nigeria to seek protection for thuggery is uncalled for. He has already said he will grant amnesty to looters. I don’t think Nigerians have any basis to doubt that Atiku’s mission is to set Nigeria on fire so that he can become President, even If he will preside over a graveyard.”

  • Suit to disqualify Atiku over citizenship for Monday

    A Suit to disqualify the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, from contesting the presidential election is to be heard on Monday.

    The suit filed by Incorporated Trustees of Egalitarian Mission for Africa before the Federal High Court, Abuja, will be heard by Hon. Justice I. E. Ekwo of Court 6.

    However, the hearing will be done two days after the presidential election, which is rescheduled for February 23.

    According to the group, Atiku should be disqualified over alleged circumstances surrounding his citizenship.

    The suit, which was filed on February 11, is seeking an interpretation of Sections 25 (1) & (2) and 131 (a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

    The group named the PDP, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the Attorney- General of the Federation and Minister of Justice as defendants in the suit.

    It also wants the court to determine the following questions, viz:

    *whether Section 25 of the Constitution is the sole authority that spells out ways by which a person can become a Nigerian citizen by birth?

    *whether by the provisions of Section 131 (a) of the constitution, only a Nigerian citizen by birth can contest for the office of president?

    *whether by the combined interpretation of Sections 25 (1) & (2) and 131 (a) of the constitution and given the circumstances surrounding the birth of Alhaji Atiku, he can be cleared by PDP and INEC to contest for office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?

    In the suit, the plaintiff said if the court resolves the issues in its favour, it should declare that by the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, only a Nigerian citizen by birth can contest for president.

    In an affidavit deposed in support of the plaintiff’s action, the deponent averred that Atiku was born on November 25, 1946 in Cameroon.

    “That from Atiku’s own testimony that is gazetted and published in most national dailies in circulation, he is from Jada town in Adamawa and Jada used to be in Ganye Local Government Area in Adamawa.

    “That Ganye is regarded as the mother of the whole Chamba tribe and was never part of Nigeria legally as at the date of birth of Atiku.

    “That none of Atiku’s parents or grandparents was born in Nigeria and his father died a citizen of Northern Cameroon in 1957 prior to the referendum of June 1, 1961 that made Northern Cameroon a part of Nigeria.”