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… said the PDP will win all positions in the next elections
By Anthony Ogbonna
Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Democratic People's Party, CEO, said President Buhari had violated Nigeria's constitution by suspending Judge Walter Onnoghen as Chief Justice of Nigeria. In doing so, Atiku said that President Buhari had overturned the Nigerian constitution by "crossing the immutable line that separates the executive from the judiciary".
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The former vice president also said that Buhari's directives to the army and police to relentlessly handle the election disrupters were a clear negation of the principles of democracy.
He said that Buhari's statement was shocking and therefore contrary to the principles of democracy applied by Nigeria.
According to him, "it is very shocking for a head of state to pronounce such words in a democracy. A prerequisite for "free, fair and credible" elections is for the people to vote without fear of violence. "
Atiku also told his party members and supporters that the PDP would win all positions in the next general election postponed to Saturday.
Atiku made this statement via his twitter account in a series of tweets.
According to him, the party and its members, through unity, "stand on the verge of victory", but urged them "not to lower our guard or diminish our resolve, we have an adversary who does not retreat from nothing to maintain power. "
His statement reads as follows:
"I think it is necessary, at first, to pay tribute to all the members of our great party and to our long-suffering people who bear the direct costs of canceling the first phase of our general election, which was to begin on February 16, 2019..
I am sure we can all understand the losses and the burden on our citizens who have traveled to various destinations for exercise.
This adds to the burden on electoral staff willing to make sacrifices for the benefit of our democracy.
Poorly prepared and still deployed in hostile centers, these staff members, like all of us, have also been victims of the potentially destructive trajectory on which our country was pushed.
Nevertheless, together we are about to win, but we must not lower our guard or diminish our resolve, because we have an adversary who will stop at nothing to maintain his power.
Our goal is not to gain power for our own sake, but for the people of our country who have been so hard hit by four years of lack of APC mastery and incompetence.
Four years more than 14 million people out of work, more people than ever killed and more people living in extreme poverty, more than any other country on the planet.
Let us not forget that during the last three years of the last PDP administration, Nigeria had become Africa's largest economy and we had each of the fastest growth rates on our continent.
And so true to our values and our commitment to chart a new course for our beloved country, our campaigns have been problem-based, offering Nigerians hope for a brighter future; while demanding free, fair, transparent and credible elections from the government.
The reactions of our supporters across the country have confirmed their willingness and willingness to entrust us with their fate as a viable alternative to their desperation.
However, it now appears that our participatory democracy, which we have enjoyed for 20 years, allows our citizens to decide who is leading them, is under threat.
This is disturbing, given the great sacrifices made, including the ultimate sacrifice made by many to uphold the principles of democracy in our country.
You will remember that during the peace agreement process, I clearly stated, quoting the former president @GEJonathan that "my ambition is not worth the blood of a Nigerian".
Today, I call the general @MBuhari, to make the same commitment to the people it holds the mandate, while also urging all security agencies to respect our constitution, with the understanding that voting is a civic activity and responsibility.
The Nigerian army is constitutionally responsible for the protection of our national integrity and its borders and has no role to play in the conduct of elections.
In addition, I ask the National Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to remain, once again, impartial, while ensuring the holding of credible elections, this time around.
INEC must ensure that all logistical challenges are resolved by Saturday 23 and that all documents recovered from the field are inspected by the participating political parties before the start of the elections.
My dear Nigerians, men and women of the party, I am sure that you have also followed with interest the statements of the leaders of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the General. @MBuharipainful reminder of the era of dictatorship and military rule.
General @MBuhari repeatedly violated the constitution and did not respect the rule of law.
Recent examples include the unconstitutional suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the day before he was to appoint the judges of the electoral tribunals to rule on appeals on whether one of our elections had been manipulated.
Thus crossing the immutable line that separates the executive power from the judiciary.
Alas, my concerns do not stop there. Yesterday only, general @MBuhari said that "the army and the police should be ruthless" and that "anyone who disrupts the electoral system will do so at the expense of his own life".
It is very shocking for a head of state to say such things in a democracy. A precondition for "free, fair and credible" elections is that citizens can vote without fear of violence.
Elected in power by the vote of the people in what is considered the most free, fair and credible election in Nigeria, you must allow our people to let it deliver its verdict in the same way that you have been elected.
If you do, the story will congratulate you. If you are not in the story, you will be condemned for it.
We must now turn our attention to the next elections on Saturday, where the destiny of our people and our country will be decided.
Despite the disappointment of previous weeks, I urge all Nigerians to vote for the candidate of their choice, while keeping in mind our commitment to building a democratic and economically viable nation that will be respected among the ranks of democratic nations.
So, let me rebadure you, we will win these elections. And to our long-suffering citizens, I do not say do not despair, our time is now and together we will reshape the fate of our beloved country.
Together we can make Nigeria work again. God bless you and God bless Nigeria. #PDPNECRéunion #LetsGetNigeriaWorkingAgain"
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