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Phrank Shaibu- a Chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Special Assistant to Atiku on Public Communications, has said that the All-Progressive’s Congress (APC) is known for intimidating and harassing the judiciary
Former Presidential Candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, claimed that there is a scheme to intimidate and subvert the judiciary in order to undermine the actions of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC). He was, however, swiftly replied by the presidency, who said that Atiku had made spurious and wild allegations that was a bid to blackmail the judiciary.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, Phrank Shaibu- a PDP Chieftain and the Special Assistant to Atiku on Public Communications, said that the Presidency’s response to the alarm that was raised by the PDP was “an unpresidential remark, an unpresidential rebuttal from a government that prides itself as being advocates of the rule of law and democracy.” He went on to say, “Nobody can categorise apprehension and the statement we issued as frivolous or spurious.”
Shaibu then claimed that the PDP raised the topic as they noted that the APC were taking similar steps that were taken when they allegedly influenced the judiciary in 2019, saying, “We raised the alarm because we know their plot. We know that they have a penchant, we know that it’s their stock in trade to intimidate and harass the judiciary. I’ve provided evidence on what they did in 2019, and they’ve started treading on the same road.
“We only needed to raise the alarm for eternal vigilance because we are seeing the same signs. We are talking about the same set of people; The APC who have a penchant for intimidation of the judiciary because they have a penchant of railroading themselves into power using any means possible. And we have said it, we listened to their candidate during the election, who said- you should grab it, steal it, whatever it takes, just grab power. That’s how power should be taken.”
He said that the PDP was only advocating for the government to allow for the free and fair ruling of the judiciary as he said, “We are saying, this man, Bola Ahmed Tinubu the INEC claimed won the election, he has been sworn in into power, we don’t have a problem with that. Atiku is a man you know who loves peace
“So the issue is we are saying that eternal vigilance is the key, and we are saying Nigerians, look, be on the alert. We are saying security agencies, be on the alert, don’t allow yourselves to be used. We are saying the chief justices of our courts should be on the alert. Don’t allow anybody to compromise you.”
However, in the same interview, Musa Sarkin Adar said that these allegations were just an attempt to blackmail the president and the ruling party by those who claimed to have won the election. While he said that he will not vilify anybody, he called on the presidential candidates of the other parties to work together with President Tinubu. He said, “This country needs to be forward. We have seen in the past, all the attempts that have been made by the opposition parties- blackmailing, all this and that- during the campaign. The campaign has come and gone. Please, let us start building the nation.
“If you have anything that you think you would have wanted to do if you won the election, Nigeria belongs to all of us, and the president is your own personal friend. All of you dine and dance together in many places. Go and meet him,” he said, as he suggested that former candidates should work collaboratively with the president to solve issues in Nigeria. “We should not continue, just simply because of personal selfishness. We cannot get all what we want at all times, and we must be patient, that’s what makes leadership.”
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi.
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