Nyako: Presidency plots to arrest Buhari, Tinubu Indications have emerged yesterday that the Presidency is perfecting plans to arrest and prosecute former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari and Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, among some national leaders of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC). The plot, our reporters learnt, was for their alleged attempt to save former Adamawa state governor, Admiral Murtala Nyako (rtd) from impeachment. A senior government official, who disclosed this to newsmen in Abuja yesterday, said the APC leaders (whom he refused to name) might be arrested within this week. He said the Presidency was also planning to arrest them for accusing President Goodluck Jonathan of being behind Nyako’s travails. Although the official declined to name the opposition leaders to be arrested and prosecuted, it was gathered that Buhari, Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, were among those targeted. The opposition leaders were alleged to have sent some governors to Adamawa state to persuade the state’s legislators to drop their bid to impeach Nyako. The official said the Presidency and the security forces had received “intelligence reports” that two APC governors, one from the North and the other from the South, tried to financially induce some members of the Adamawa Assembly to scuttle the move to impeach Nyako. The official said: “It was the assurance that they (the governors) got from one of the lawmakers that more members would be bought over that gave birth to the reports that time, that Nyako might resign. “When it was clear to them that the money might not do the magic, they resorted to threats. “What they don’t know is that all these are recorded. If they continue with these their unfounded allegations against the president (Jonathan), the security agencies would be directed to arrest them and confront them with overwhelming evidence”, the source threatened. In a swift reaction, however, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, dared the Presidency to go ahead with the plan. According to him, the APC leaders have done nothing wrong by supporting their governor, “who was unconstitutionally removed from office”. “They want to arrest our leaders because the leaders have accused Jonathan of being behind Nyako’s the travails? If this is their offence, please let them go ahead. Let it happen first; I can assure you there will be robust and positive response from the party,” he stressed. Buhari’s associate, Engineer Buba Galadima, in his response said: “Is there any doubt that the federal government is orchestrating the impeachment of APC governors? It’s laughable that the federal government intends to arrest the trio of General Muhammadu Buhari, Atiku Abubakar and Bola Ahmed Tinubu over an alleged inducement of Adamawa lawmakers. “Every Nigerian knows what the PDP controlled federal government is going about with impunity. Every day is for the thief but one day will be for the owner. PDP will pay for their crimes, and it may not be far-fetched. Everybody knows they are behind the political instability and the truncating of democracy in Nigeria”, he stressed. In a related development, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has warned the Jonathan led PDP to stop deceiving Nigerians by emphasizing the nation’s fault lines for political reasons. Atiku warned Jonathan and his ruling party to stop labeling the opposition APC a terrorist organization. He also warned that the government’s dangerous tactics of polarizing the country along its fault lines as a means of diverting attention from its ineptitude and apathetic posture to corruption and insecurity, could back fire. Reacting to a report in a weekly paper, alleging that a former Russian spy has linked the APC to terrorists and extremists, the former vice president said these sponsored allegations by the PDP administration would not help the country. He said no responsible government would seek to create division, suspicion and animosity among its citizens by linking the opposition leaders with terrorist activities or accusing them of harbouring extremists. According to him, the PDP has officially and publicly, through its publicity secretary, labeled APC the “Islamic Brotherhood Party of Nigeria” and the “Janjaweed Party,” nomenclatures he said, were borrowed from abroad and did not in any way or form exist in Nigeria. He said the latest publication about a so-called former Russian spy was a continuation of the PDP campaign of calumny against the opposition party and its leaders in order to divert attention from the epic failures of the ruling party to deliver the goods. The former Vice President noted with concern the tactics of the PDP administration to drive a wedge between the people by using a religious divide-and-rule strategy to get a re-election in 2015. The former vice president restated that the greatest challenges facing the country are insecurity, joblessness, hopelessness, hunger, unemployment, disease, fear of the future and poverty. Tore “The APC is a party for all Nigerians, irrespective of their religious, ethnic or regional identities. Let no one get confused. The APC is the party to stop the looting of the treasury. We will thoroughly investigate and uncover whatever is missing of the alleged 50 Billion Dollars stolen from the sale of crude oil. We are going to stop the government-backed theft of crude oil which swings between the daily averages of 100,000 to 300,000 barrels a day. APC is the party to create jobs and end joblessness,” Atiku said. Peoples Daily
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 13:57:45 +0000
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