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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, in last Saturday’s election, Atiku Abubakar, has challenged the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, to explain while there was silence across the country, in the aftermath of his declaration as winner of the poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Atiku, who spoke through his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, in reaction to comments by the Special Adviser on Media and Communication to the All Progressives Congress ( APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Dele Alake. Alake, while speaking at a press briefing, in Abuja, on Friday, had said the PDP candidate and his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi, who have gone to court to challenge the election result, were “chasing after a mirage”.
However, Shaibu said: “They should explain to Nigerians why people have been partying in Columbia while there is grave silence in Nigeria since the declaration of their candidate.” He said it was unfortunate that the APC campaign council had allegedly continued to attack and mock the Nigerians in the aftermath of the poll.
According to him, “Festus Keyamo’s claim that there was massive rigging in the southeast and that the APC will be challenging the votes in that region proves our claim that this election was fraught with irregularities. This is the more reason we are seeking the cancellation of the results.
“Is it not funny that Tinubu claimed he wanted to replicate the developments of Lagos across Nigeria and yet the same people of Lagos rejected him at the poll? He and his minions unleashed thugs on the people of the state and yet still lost.
“We ask them to save their strength for the legal fireworks ahead. Nigerians and the world will see how All Progressives Criminals (APC) stole the mandate of the people and most impossible. They should explain to Nigerians why people have been partying in Columbia while there is grave silence in Nigeria since the declaration of their candidate.”
Also, reacting to the media briefing by Dele Alake, the Head of Media, Obi-Datti Campaign Council, Diran Onifade, described election rigging as “more shameful” and “an attempt to destroy the country, destroy our processes and institutions.”
It was even more shameful, he said, when shameless people who rigged the election were berating those following the law to do the proper thing.
He added: “You can judge by yourself. They are the ones who should be ashamed of themselves for that simple process they can’t follow. In 2023, you are still rigging elections. What for? They should be the ones who are ashamed of themselves.”
