Buhari Using EFCC To Scuttle Atiku’s Petition At The Election Tribunal – CUPP 

BY AMOS DUNIA, ABUJA – The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), of planning to cart away documents and evidences of the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar’s case against President Muhammadu Buhari with a view to derail the petition filling.

The CUPP also said that EFCC’s moves are targeted at destroying some of the incriminating evidences for proving electoral frauds in the possession of the Deputy Director General of the Atiku Presidential Campaign Council, Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, who was arrested by the commission.

The CUPP in a statement on Tuesday by its spokesperson, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, said the EFCC acting on President Buhari’s orders, arrested Turaki, who is the Coordinating Director for Atiku’s Legal team, stressing that the Ibrahim Magu-led Commission is using force against Taminu to surrender the evidences that Atiku intends to use at the Tribunal against Buhari and the list of witnesses Atiku intends to call so they can start framing and Intimidating them.

Ugochinyere said that the Coalition is raising alarm once again about the desperate attempt by President Buhari and his foot soldiers to by all means frustrate efforts by the coalition Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to retrieve his stolen mandate through a peaceful means (Tribunal) where he planned to file his case today.

The CUPP spokesperson further said; “This time, Buhari, through his administration’s heavily biased and partisan, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, has arrested the Deputy Director-General of PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN.

“The CUPP wish to condemn the politically motivated arrest of the Deputy Director General (Administration) of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Tanimu Kabiru Turaki SAN, by the EFCC not for any crime but in a failed attempt to derail the completion of processes leading to the filing of the case at the Tribunal to retrieve the stolen mandate President Muhammadu Buhari has been parading about.”

Ugochinyere explained that Turaki, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), only went to the EFCC office in connection to the signing of bail papers for another of Atiku associates that were in custody.

He noted that the mode of his arrest and detention clearly shows it was upon a spontaneous realization that he was a coordinating factor in the expected legal challenge of the rigged Presidential election of 23rd February. 

In the words of Ugochinyere; “Inside source within the Commission informed us that Mr. Turaki is not being questioned by EFCC officials but by a team from the Presidential villa who are only questioning him about the details of the petition of the PDP. They are questioning him on the evidences the PDP has in its possession and the location of the documents/legal Secretariat and list of witnesses.

“This is obviously with a view to storming the location, carting away relevant papers and derailing the filing of the papers in the Tribunal which must be completed within 21 days from the date of announcement of the election results.

“We therefore make bold to say that his arrest at this time was not a mere coincidence but a well orchestrated plan to ensure that they scuttle the plan to challenge the illegality that happened on February 23, in court by making sure that the suit is not filed within the timeframe allowed by law.

“We have consistently been alerting Nigerians and friends of the country on all steps being taken by this government to stop any legal means to retrieve the mandate it stole on February 23, particularly how millions of naira from tax payers’ money are being doled out to individuals, political parties and groups to continue to mount pressure on Alhaji Atiku to accept ‘defeat that was stolen.”

The CUPP said it is noteworthy that all the harassments and intimidations of opposition leaders are going on without a word from the National Peace Committee that midwifed the signing of the peace pact ahead of the general elections.

He further said; “How can there be peace where the people’s mandate was brazenly stolen? How can there be peace when barriers are consistently being mounted against the victim of executive theft so that he cannot seek redress in court? Let this desperate administration that will lose its legitimacy on May 29, know that the eyes of the world are on this country and its illegal actions.

“President Buhari and his goons are on rampage. They have brazenly stolen the peoples mandate and are now desperate to protect their crime proceed. Nigerians should not be surprised when documents begin to get missing from the Registry of the Tribunal or when indeed very strange things begin to happen.

“There is a blank cheque for the security agencies and they have been directed that there are no off limits for them in ensuring that the PDP challenge is derailed. President Buhari should make it easy for everybody and just direct his people to announce the names of every member of the Atiku legal team for arrest and stop this deliberate groping when there is light.

“We hereby declare that every effort by the Buhari administration to stop the retrieval of the stolen mandate will all fail and come to nothing.

“He refused to sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, fought to emasculate and annex the Supreme Court, hired people to protest to urge Alhaji Atiku Abubakar not to go to Court, paid N40million to each of the 36 political parties that mortgaged their future and call on Atiku to accept “defeat”, arrested Alhaji Atiku’s lawyer, Financial Director and now Coordinator of his legal team.”

Ugochinyere said that many more hurdles are along the way, adding however that Atiku Abubakar leading the Nigerian opposition will successfully jump over all of them and effectively retrieve the peoples mandate from the usurper.