Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has responded to President Muhammadu Buhari‘s threat on ballot box snatchers.
Okay Nigeria recalls that President Buhari has warned “anybody who thinks he has enough influence in his locality to lead a body of thugs to snatch boxes or to disturb the voting system, he will do it at the expense of his own life.”
However, Atiku, during the PDP’s NEC meeting in Abuja believes that the president’s order is a result of his desperation to remain in power.
He, therefore, advised the president that his ambitions should not be worth the blood of any Nigerian, while also reminding the military that their duty remains to protect the nation.
In his words, “You will recall that during the Peace Accord process, I stated in clear terms, quoting from former president Jonathan Goodluck, that my ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian. That man is a great man.
“Today I call on President Buhari to make that same commitment to the people whose mandate he holds, while also urging all security agencies to uphold our Constitution with an understanding that voting is a civil activity and civic responsibility.
“The Nigerian military is constitutionally responsible for protecting our territorial integrity and national borders and has no role to play in the conduct of elections.”