By: Ifeanyi Izeze<\/p>\n
For few daysnow, the media has been awash with APC\u2019s faulting of the
\ncandidacy of AtikuAbubakar, the PDP presidential candidate in the just
\nconcluded presidentialelection. The party is arguing that Atiku is a
\nCameroonian and ought not tohave taken part in the presidential poll of
\nNigeria in the first instance.<\/p>\n
Ordinarily thiswould have been treated as a joke but for the obvious fact
\nthat the APC isdeliberately diverting attention from the serious issues
\npresented at thetribunal all in a ploy to buy time.<\/p>\n
Without doubt, the APC and its candidate, Mohammadu Buhari seem not to
\nhave any defense against the petition of thePDP\/Atiku challenging the
\nmassive rigging and manipulations of figures by INECin its declared
\nresults of the February 29th presidential election.<\/p>\n
It should haveoccurred to the APC and its presidential candidate that
\ntheir pedestal responseto the gross allegations of massive rigging and
\nmanipulation of figures was anoutright vindication of the facts and
\nfigures presented by Atiku in hispetition.<\/p>\n
Agreed that defendinga lie is a very hard task because you keep
\nmanufacturing lies to explainearlier ones, but questioning Atiku’s
\ncitizenship at this time instead ofaddressing the petitioner\u2019s allegations
\nof rigging\u00a0suggests an obviousdesperation on the part of the ruling party.
\nSo they had to divert theattention of the people with this fable. The
\nunusual time the APC lawyerswasted to counter Atiku’s petition would have
\ntold any discerning mind thatthey were rattled by the solidity of the
\nverifiable facts in the petition.<\/p>\n
They have tried all sorts of mischief to intimidate and harass Atiku allto
\nno avail. First it was the allegation by the APC against Atiku and PDP
\nofhacking into the INEC server to access figures released by the
\nelectoralumpire. On that one they simply roared and melted out.<\/p>\n
Second, they came with the threat to arrest Atiku over his alleged movesto
\nlobby the United States Government not to recognise a new government
\ninNigeria if Buhari goes on to inaugurate himself without clearing
\ntheallegations of massive rigging, changing of actual election results and
\nusingthe military to intimidate voters across the country particularly in
\ntheSouthern parts of the country during and after the elections. That also
\ncouldnot hold waters.<\/p>\n
Now, they have come with another one that Atiku is not a Nigerian but
\naCameroonian because Adamawa state was part of that neighbouring country
\nevenbefore my great grandfather was born. Haba!<\/p>\n
If Atiku is insisting that his case is based on facts and
\nstatisticalevidence, is it not behoving on both the Independent National
\nElectoralCommission (INEC) and the APC, to disprove his factual
\nsubmissions?<\/p>\n
Given the timethey wasted to counter Atiku’s petition before the tribunal,
\none would haveexpected the APC lawyers to have come with solid evidence
\nthat there was norigging rather than this ludicrous diversionary arguments
\nchallenging Atiku’squalification to contest the presidential election
\nbecause he is not allegedlya citizen of Nigeria.<\/p>\n
The panic and diversionary or rather pedestal mode APC has turned on isan
\nobvious confirmation that Atiku and his party, the PDP, definitely
\nhaveverifiable and incontrovertible evidence to show that the last
\nPresidentialelection was fraudulent, not credible and did not reflect the
\nwill of theNigerian people.<\/p>\n
Recall that itwas in its response to the petition filed by the Peoples
\nDemocratic Party (PDP)and its presidential candidate at the Presidential
\nElection Tribunal, that theAPC averred that contrary to the assertion of
\nAtiku in his petition, he (Atiku)had no right to be voted for as a
\ncandidate in the election to the office ofPresident of the Federal
\nRepublic of Nigeria held on February 23, 2019. Theparty said the 11.1
\nmillion votes recorded in favour of the two petitioners (Atiku and PDP)
\nshould be voided and considered a waste by the PresidentialElection
\nPetition Tribunal.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, whenAtiku was in APC funding Buhari\u2019s campaign in 2014-2015
\nand even handed hismedia office to run the Buhari campaign then, he was
\nnot a Cameroonian. When heemerged PDP Presidential candidate, he was not a
\nCameroonian. When hecampaigned all over Nigeria and was pulling more crowd
\nthan Buhari, he was nota Cameroonian. Now that he has challenged Buhari’s
\nblood stained and riggedvictory at the polls, Atiku has suddenly become a
\nCameroonian. How long can weafford to continue like this as a country?<\/p>\n
In every respectit is better to strongly doubt if the APC lead counsel; a
\n\u201clearned silk\u201d cangoof in such manner by displaying his ignorance of the
\nLaw or will make himselfa cheap article to settle political scores.<\/p>\n
The desperateattempt to rewrite our history by political personalities
\njust to suit theirpersonal interests and narratives, and hold on to power
\nby all means placinglogic on its head in order to confuse the past and
\nconvince the present abouttheir shenanigans at the last presidential
\nelection cannot work with thepeople.<\/p>\n
At best, this isa cheap propaganda and mischief of the highest order;
\nmisrepresentation offacts; figments of lies; and wild imaginations of the
\nprotagonists in thischarade.<\/p>\n
The fact that the APC chose to base its defence on the ridiculousassertion
\nthat Atiku is not a Nigerian, should show to the nation the type
\nofcharacters we have in the APC and its government. The party\u2019sresponse
\nwas not just too pedestal in a serious matter like this butdiversionary to
\nsteer the nation from the issues being contested by the oppositionparty at
\nthe election tribunal.<\/p>\n
As explained by alegal luminary and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in
\nhis comment on thealleged submission by the APC legal team, \u201cOur
\ngroundnorm which is the 1999Constitution of the federal Republic of
\nNigeria clearly in chapter 111. Section25, Subsection 1a 1b &1c defines in
\nan unambiguous manner what it entailsto be Citizens by birth.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf People fromAdamawa are alien or some of them do not have the
\nconstitutional rights tocontest Election into the office of President
\nwhich is the exclusive right ofonly Nigerians with citizenship by birth,
\nAtiku could not have cleared thisconstitutional hurdles in his last three
\nattempts of been cleared to contestfor the office of the President Federal
\nRepublic of Nigeria.\u201d<\/p>\n
How come the INEC is having problem defending the results of an electionit
\nconducted and announced? Even APC cannot defend the results of an
\nelectionthey claimed they won, is it not interesting?<\/p>\n
As said, ratherthan deflect of the world from the meat of Atiku\u2019s petition
\nat the Triunal,Buhari and APC should redirect their focus on the points
\nalready raised by thePDP presidential candidate, that is the only path
\nthat can clear their namesfrom the mess the 2019 presidential elections
\nwas believed to be by a majorityof reasonable Nigerians as a result of the
\ndesperation of those who seek to bein power by all means and against the
\npeople\u2019s will.<\/p>\n
God bless Nigeria!<\/p>\n