by Gbade Ogunwale,



The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organization (PPCO) has dared President Muhammadu Buhari on the threats to arrest the presidential candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

Information and Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed had, at a media briefing in Abuja on Friday, hinted that Atiku, who travelled to the United States on Thursday, would be arrested on his return to the country.

But the PDP has described the planned arrest as laughable and a heinous plot to frame Atiku, out of fear that he is already coasting to victory in the February 16 presidential election.

Addressing a media conference in Abuja on Friday, spokesman for the PDP Presidential Campaign, Kola Ologbondiyan, said President Buhari and the APC were already jittery over Atiku’s soaring popularity ahead of the elections.

“It is reprehensible that Mr. President will descend abysmally low to fabricate outright lies and falsehood in a bid to discredit a more qualified and acceptable Presidential candidate”, Ologbondiyan said.

The PDP campaign spokesman added that Atiku has nothing to do with the alleged issues leading to the collapse of Bank PHB, stressing that the PDP presidential candidate is an honest and hardworking Nigerian who has no skeleton of any sort in his cupboard.

Ologbondiyan further stated, “For emphasis, even the Chairman of President Buhari’s Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay, had since told the world that the Buhari Presidency has searched everywhere and could not find anything incriminating on Atiku Abubakar.

“The world already knows that this attempt to mudsling our Presidential candidate is coming out of President Buhari’s frustration over Atiku Abubakar’s successful outing in the United States, for which the Buhari Presidency has gone into full hallucination.

“This is in addition to their frenzied face-saving effort to divert public attention from President Buhari’s humiliating appearances in the respective rallies and Television shows he has had.

“The PPCO however, counsels President Buhari and the APC to note that Nigerians can see through their lies, fabrications and frustration and that their scheme against Atiku Abubakar is already dead on arrival.

“If anything, the PPCO will want President Buhari to open the books and provide explanation for the N9 trillion stolen under his watch as Minister of Petroleum Resources as detailed in the leaked NNPC memo.

“President Buhari should as well, allow an open inquest into the alleged involvement of his relations in the N1.032 trillion alleged corrupt acquisitions in 9Mobile and Keystone Bank PLC.

“Finally, the PPCO states that the PDP Presidential candidate, our great party and indeed all Nigerians, who have already reached a national consensus to vote-in Atiku Abubakar as the next President of our country, will not be distracted by this unfounded allegation by the rejected President Buhari and his handlers”.

The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organization (PPCO) describes as laughable, President Muhammadu Buhari’s heinous plot to frame the PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, out of fear that he is already coasting to victory in the February 16 Presidential election.

While we understand that President Buhari and his dysfunctional All Progressives Congress (APC) are jittery over Atiku Abubakar’s soaring popularity ahead of the elections, it is reprehensible that Mr. President will descend abysmally low to fabricate outright lies and falsehood in a bid to discredit a more qualified and acceptable Presidential candidate.

The PPCO makes bold to state that Atiku Abubakar has nothing to do with the alleged issues leading to the collapse of Bank PHB, but an honest and hard working Nigerian who has no skeleton of any sort in his cupboard, unlike President Buhari, who is now entangled in series of corruption allegations.

For emphasis, even the Chairman of President Buhari’s Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay, had since told the world that the Buhari Presidency has searched everywhere and could not find anything incriminating on Atiku Abubakar.