By Chibuike Nwabuko
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – Main opposition party, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has advised President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) not to further taint its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar whom they said have been collectively adopted by Nigerians as their main candidate in next year’s presidential election.
PDP while reminding government that resorting to violence, smear campaign, character assassination and rigging will not change this resolve, disclosed this as a reaction to the ‘treatment’ recently meted on Atiku by security agents.
Recall that the Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and the former Vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on Sunday arrived Nigeria after spending about 25 days in Dubai, United Arab Emirate.
Atiku left Nigeria to Dubai shortly after emerging the party’s presidential flag bearer at the convention that held on the 7th and 8th of October at Amesiamaka stadium, Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.
The former vice president who was said to have touched down at Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja at about 1 am in company of his aides and children, were subjected to thorough search by the security officials.
Although nothing incriminating was found with him, his luggage or aircraft, but there have been reactions from stakeholders in condemnation and justification of the search conducted by security forces.
In his reaction Atiku who said it was a political witch hunt, took to his twitter handle, @atiku said:
“I arrived Abuja this morning to a search by agents of the state, aimed at intimidating me and my staff. I am committed to building a Nigeria where no citizen is intimidated by agents of state who are paid to protect them.
”Together let, #Lets GetNigeria Working Again”.
Also, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in a swift reaction condemned the actions meted on the former Vice president by the security agencies.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party alleged that a special security squad of army, police and paramilitary agencies acting on “orders from above” attempted to manhandle Atiku physically before invading his aircraft.
However, the PDP also informed that security officials tampered with some of his gadgets and personal documents, including his campaign materials.
The statement reads in part: “It was shocking when the deadly squad, in a Gestapo-style attack, and acting on orders from above rushed our candidate immediately he landed and attempted to physically manhandle him before invading his aircraft with dangerous weapons to conduct a violent search.
“While they did not find anything incriminating on our presidential candidate, this deadly squad, violently tampered with certain personal documents and gadgets belonging to him, including some of his campaign documents.”
It added, “The PDP completely rejects such violence against the person of our presidential candidate by the Buhari Presidency, which we know has been jittery over Atiku Abubakar’s soaring popularity since his emergence as our candidate.
“We invite the world to note that having failed to drag down our presidential candidate with spurious allegations and smear campaign, the APC has now resorted to state-backed violence against him and must be held responsible should any harm befall him or any member of his campaign team.
PDP further said it would not hesitate to call the supporters and volunteers out in defence of democracy if another such attempt was made against its candidate.
“Finally, the PDP counsels the APC and the Buhari Presidency to know that power belongs to God and that the time has come for Nigerians to choose a new President, for which they have collectively rallied around Atiku Abubakar and that their resort to violence, smear campaign, character assassination and rigging will not change this resolve,” the statement read.
Reacting through the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, the government said that Atiku’s claim was mischievous attempt to grab headlines as the checks carried out by the security agents at the airport were mandatory.
The statement reads,” This is a mischievous attempt to grab the headlines. Nigerians need to know that one of the resolutions of the Atiku team at their recently-concluded, opulently-held Dubai retreat was to embark on scaremongering. This is one of such.
”For the records, all incoming passengers on international flights go through customs, Immìgration, health and security screening.
”Where the aircraft is using the private, charter wing, as the PDP Candidate did, such arrivals are met by a team of the Immìgration, customs and other security agencies. They go to the arriving aircraft as a team. The airport authorities confirm that this is a routine process, applying to all international arrivals, including the minister unless the passenger is the President of Nigeria. The President, the Vice President and passengers aboard planes on the Presidential air fleet use the Presidential wing of the airport.
”It is also important to state that even in the Presidential Wing of the airport the President of Nigeria uses, there is the presence of Immìgration and other security officials who must stamp his or her passport on arrival.
”By standard procedure, all aircraft on international arrivals must first of all park at the international wing of the aircraft. They can move to the domestic terminal only upon the completion of the arrival processes.
”While it is true that the Task Force on Currency at the airport did the routine action of checking the former Vice President’s travel bag, he was accorded full respect as a senior citizen.
”These checks are mandatory, conventional, internationally applied and routine. No one is excused from them under our laws. These checks are carried out on all international arrivals and President Buhari does not get involved in them.
”Law-abiding citizens are encouraged to respect the laws of the country and our VIPs should not seek to be treated over and above the citizens they wish to serve.”
Following the reported treatment of Atiku by agents of the government, the common sense senator, Senator Ben Murray Bruce has called on government to wait and face Atiku at the imminent polls rather than deploying force and state apparatus of coercion against him. Reacting through his twitter handle Ben Bruce said: “I totally condemn this reckless harassment of @atiku the candidate of the @OfficialPDPNig as he landed in Abuja. Nigeria is not a fascist state. We will not return to a jackboot dictatorship. This government should face Atiku at the polls, not with force.”
In the same vein, former spokesman of the APC, Timi Frank also condemned the alleged intimidation of the PDP presidential candidate.
Frank said that the plan to plant incriminating evidence in Atiku’s jet failed, adding that the security team confessed that they were sent by the Presidency to embarrass the former VP.
According to Vanguard, Frank said “Due to information at our disposal, I have been saying it that the PDP presidential candidate is not save under this administration because the Buhari’s administration is deploying all manners of devilish strategies to nail all the opposition leaders especially, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
“We are using this medium to inform the international community to also take note of how Buhari administration is intimidating the opposition presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who has served Nigeria as Vice President for eight years.”