.Says, ex-VP’s details not withdrawn
By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA: The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council APC-PCC has declared that there is no plot to assassinate former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress ADC, insisting that his security details have not been withdrawn.
The council said the claim, made by a member of the ADC, Timi Frank, was false and must be proved.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Spokesperson of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Dele Alake, said: “We categorically reject the claim that the presidency of Nigeria or the APC Campaign Council is involved in any plot to assassinate former Vice President Atiku Abubakar or any opposition figure.
“This is a grave allegation that Mr Frank must prove. We thus urge security agencies to invite him to substantiate the allegation, given its gravity and the urgent need to preserve life,” the statement said.
The council also dismissed reports that Atiku’s security cover had been pulled. “The narrative that the security personnel attached to former Vice President Atiku have been withdrawn is totally false. The former Vice President is well protected by the police and the Department of State Security DSS.
“Contrary to the falsehood promoted by Timi Frank, President Tinubu recently directed security agencies to reinforce and increase protection for all presidential, vice-presidential, governorship, and Deputy Governorship candidates across the country.
“The security around the ADC Presidential candidate has never been compromised. As a former Vice President of Nigeria, he enjoys two levels of state-funded security protection. President Tinubu has increased security protection for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as a Presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 general elections.”
The campaign council, however, said it would not treat any real threat lightly. “We also urge Mr Frank not to hesitate to provide any information in his possession that will enable prompt investigation. Any credible threat to life must be treated seriously, irrespective of political affiliation,” the statement said.
It described the allegation as a familiar tactic of opposition figures. “Mr Frank’s claim is typical opposition rabble-rousing meant to heat the polity. Many opposition figures, including Timi Frank, have made it a habit to write open letters and tag foreign leaders and international organisations in social media posts to draw undeserved attention to themselves,” it said.
The council also pointed to the President’s own record in opposition politics. “President Bola Tinubu, as a statesman and an avowed democrat, recognises opposition politics as an essential part of our 27-year-old democracy. For 16 years in Nigeria, President Tinubu was the face of opposition, and he galvanised the opposition movement to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party as a governing party in Nigeria in 2015.
“As we go deeper into the campaign season, politicians and supporters will continue to make outlandish statements and frivolous allegations to gain political advantage.
“We urge candidates, political parties, and supporters to be factual and responsible in public statements and avoid utterances that can trigger avoidable tension in the polity. Let our political competition be peaceful, lawful, and focused on the big issues that matter to Nigerians, not character assassination or wild, baseless allegations”, Alake said.
former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress APC, Comrade Timi Frank, has raised alarm over alleged plots to intimidate and arrest the Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress ADC, Atiku Abubakar, using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC.
In an open letter addressed to United States President Donald Trump and other international leaders, Frank appealed for diplomatic intervention over alleged threats to the life and political freedom of the former Vice President.
Frank, who is Ambassador for East Africa and the Middle East of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) and Senior Adviser to the Global Friendship City Association, United States, said the allegations required urgent and independent investigation.
“These allegations must be independently and urgently investigated. Given their gravity, however, they cannot be dismissed or ignored until it is too late to prevent harm,” he said.
He voiced particular concern that the EFCC could be used to initiate proceedings against Atiku in circumstances that might lead to his arrest and prolonged detention during the election campaign.
“The concern is not that Atiku Abubakar should be placed above the law. The concern is that the law must never be placed at the service of political persecution.
“The protection of political opposition is not a favour that any government grants at its discretion. It is a fundamental obligation of every democratic state,” he said.
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