Buhari, APC plotting to frame, arrest Atiku: PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged plan by the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government to frame up and arrest its presidential candidate in the February 23 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

Part of the plot, the party said, was the resort to unfounded claims by aides of President Muhammad Buhari to link Atiku with a foreign lobby group, as well as the sponsorship of Atiku campaign posters, to portray him and the PDP as being desperate to subvert the Nigerian constitution.

PDP in a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, stated that the orchestrated plot against Atiku and the PDP by agents of the Federal Government, officials of the presidency and the Buhari Media Organization (BMO), was to cause tension in the country and ultimately derail the ongoing petition against Buhari and APC, at presidential election tribunal.

The party, however, said that no amount of fabrications, attempt at frame up as well as veiled and open threats by the Federal Government could stop its presidential candidate from reclaiming his mandate at the tribunal.

According to the statement, the call for Atiku's arrest was inciting, noting that such has brought to the fore the unwholesome intention of the APC-led administration against Atiku for seeking to retrieve his mandate at the court.

“Such orchestrations are also targeted at instilling fear, cause apprehension in the citizenry and create an 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 party said.

PDP stated that Atiku does not need any foreign lobby group to prove his case before the tribunal, adding that he has overwhelming evidence before the court to do so.

It called 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 based on trumped-up allegations, who, the party noted, also described Atiku as “one who is lucky to be walking free”.

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

It advised the Federal Government to allow the tribunal to judiciously carry out its responsibilities without let or hindrance as well as stop the plots to overheat the system and derail the course of justice as such would all come to nought. (New Telegraph)