Atiku Responds To APC's Claim That He's Not A Nigerian
Earlier, the All Progressive Congress (APC) filed a motion at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja that, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) is not qualified to contest for the highest position in the country because he’s not a Nigerian.
Responding to the claim, in a statement issued on Saturday by his media adviser, Paul Ibe, Atiku said his citizenship as a Nigerian is not in doubt.
“The position of the APC is so pedestrian and shows such straw-clutching desperation on their part, that I shall not dignify it with an answer. Our lawyers would, of course, do the needful in court. But the point I want to draw the attention of Nigerians to is that both the APC and its candidate have by this infantile logic admitted to the fact that they trampled on the will of Nigerians and that their only defence is to attempt an unconstitutional redefinition of the term ‘Nigerian"
“I am, however, confident in the Nigerian judiciary, as well as in the Nigerian people. I trust that the Tribunal will treat such a claim with the contempt it deserves. We must maintain our fidelity to the rule of law and to our fountain of origin, the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended).”
He added that “Atiku Abubakar has served our nation diligently in various capacities, from the civil service, where he rose through merit, to the top of his chosen field, to public service, where, by the grace of God, he was the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Moreover, he has committed his assets and talents to developing our nation through the provision of tens of thousands of direct jobs and hundreds of thousands of indirect jobs.”