- As PDP Presidential Candidate Inaugurates Legal Team
- Insists On Reclaiming ‘Stolen Mandate’
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Alhaji Babalele Abdullahi, son in-law to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. He is also the Finance Director of his group of companies.
A statement by his media office yesterday said, “In a desperate move to have Atiku Abubakar concede and congratulate General Muhammadu Buhari, officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, at 8.30am yesterday invaded the Maitama residence of Babalele.”
According to the statement, “The EFCC agents, numbering about two dozen, came in two regular vehicles, an 18-seater Toyota bus with registration number, Abuja CS 522 RSH and a Hilux van, but were however, not given access into the house until lawyers arrived.
“They came with a warrant to search the house and office of Babalele but found nothing incriminating. They then proceeded to his office at Oakland Centre in Maitama and found nothing incriminating there.
“However, they took away some documents of landed property. Not done, the EFCC officials stormed his Wuse residence, where they again found nothing incriminating after the search.
“Afterwards, Babalele was taken away to the EFCC office in Wuse to make a statement, alongside Mr. Lawan Ayuba. It was gathered that the petition relied upon to invade the residence and office of Babalele was authored by a brother to the wife of President Buhari.
“As a law abiding citizen, Atiku Abubakar recognizes the constitutional role of the EFCC and indeed any other agency of the government to carry out investigations, but will not be cowed by any attempt to blackmail him into mortgaging his mandate,” he said.
Meanwhile, Atiku, in another statement last night by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Paul Ibe, said he had inaugurated a legal team headed by Dr Livy Uzoukwu (SAN) “to reclaim his stolen mandate”.
“I have just inaugurated my legal team and charged them with the responsibility of ensuring that our stolen mandate is retrieved.
“I am encouraged by the presence of fearless men and women of the Bench. The judiciary, which had in the past discharged itself ably, is once again being called upon to deliver judgement on this matter that will be untainted by lucre and uncowed by the threat of immoral power,” he said.
Atiku said that under no circumstance would he mortgage the “mandate of Nigerians as freely expressed on February 23, 2019.”
Besides, the PDP has dispelled claims that its presidential candidate made some demands on President Buhari regarding the election results.
Giving weight to the inauguration of the legal team, the party said Atiku had not and would never make or accept any condition from Buhari.
The Director of Media and Publicity of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement, insisted that the party must go to court and “reclaim” its “stolen mandate.”
The party claimed that it had the authentic results of the poll in all the polling units across the nation and must “fight to finish.”
“The Buhari-led Presidency and the APC know that their electoral robbery cannot stand before any noble justices and are now attempting to use all sorts of blackmail and shenanigans to derail the quest by Nigerians to reclaim the stolen mandate at the tribunal.
“However, let it be known to President Buhari and the APC that Atiku Abubakar and the PDP are standing shoulder to shoulder with Nigerians in this collective determination to take back the stolen mandate, and we are not ready for any form of negotiation with anybody on this matter.
“Our party and candidate remain committed to the huge sacrifices made by Nigerians in ensuring our collective victory as delivered at the polling units across the country. We are mindful of the pains that Nigerians are passing through since the subversion of their will at the polls. We are sensitive to the expectations that millions of compatriots place on our shoulders in this struggle, and we will never let Nigerians down.
“We have all the authentic results from all the polling units, as well as forensic evidence of manipulations by the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). We will bare them all at the tribunal and the court will give justice to Nigerians,” Ologbondiyan said.
Daily Trust
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