Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has said its presidential candidate in the 2019 poll, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, will not be deterred by “veiled and open threats” by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government; in his quest to “reclaim his mandate” at the Election Petition Tribunal.
The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, yesterday, said it rejects the declaration by the Presidency that Atiku is “lucky to be walking free.”
The party described the statement as inciting, and noted that it brings to the fore, the unwholesome intention of the administration Atiku, “for seeking to retrieve his stolen mandate at the court.”
The PDP also said the series of orchestrations against Atiku and the opposition, allegedly by agents of governnment and the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO), exposes a well-coordinated plot to frame up Atiku and cause tension in the polity.
“Such orchestrations 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 and 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, based on trumped-up allegations, while describing him as “one who is lucky to be walking free.