Former President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday expressed concern over the trend in the polity as the general elections draw nearer.
Jonathan said he was worried over the negative energy that the forthcoming elections have generated.
His concern came as the presidential campaign councils of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) continued to engage in a war of words and smear campaign against each other.
The APC campaign council yesterday demanded the arrest and prosecution Atiku Abubakar, PDP’s presidential flagbearer, alleging that the former vice president, between 1999 and 2007, colluded with his then principal, President Olusegun Obasanjo, to “fleece the country and steal public funds using what it termed Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs).”
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The PDP fired back, describing Bola Ahmed Tinubu, APC presidential candidate, as a convict, and asked him to immediately withdraw from the presidential race.
I’m a bit worried – Jonathan
The former president said politics of bitterness hindered development, and called on politicians to market their politics with ideas, rather than fight, insult and abuse their opponents.
He spoke at the commissioning of the Afi-Uko Nteghe Uda bridge on Etebi-Enwang road, in Mbo LGA of Akwa Ibom State, on Monday.
Jonathan said, “I’m a bit worried by the negative energy generated ahead of the 2023 elections. We have noticed a level of bitterness in our politics that does not bring development and I plead with politicians that marketing is about marketing your ideas. Politics is not about fighting, is not insulting, is not about abusing.”
APC demands Atiku’s arrest, prosecution
The APC presidential campaign council has asked security agencies to arrest, interrogate and prosecute Atiku Abubakar for allegedly fleecing the nation’s funds using registered companies while in the saddle as vice president.
The council’s Director of Public Affairs and chief spokesman, Festus Keyamo (SAN), who briefed the press yesterday in Abuja, was flanked by other members of the council’s media team.
The council alleged that Atiku colluded with his then principal, President Olusegun Obasanjo, to “fleece the country and steal public funds using what he termed ‘Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs).”
“The purpose was to divert government contracts to these companies as ‘consultants’ and then paid monies into these companies and used those monies to fund the PDP and their private businesses and family activities.
“In this case, the judiciary will not be quiet as we shall clearly take steps in the next few days to initiate a judicial process seeking the outright disqualification of Atiku Abubakar from the race based on these facts.
“He is clearly ethically challenged, morally damaged for the highest office of the land,” the council said.
Also, in a petition to the chairmen of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), Keyamo asked the anti-graft agencies to arrest Atiku within 72 hours over the alleged offences of “breach of code of conduct for public officers, money laundering, criminal breach of trust and criminal misappropriation, and conspiracy.”
Tinubu an ex-convict, should withdraw from race – PDP
Responding, the PDP described the presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as a convict and asked him to immediately withdraw from the presidential race.
Debo Ologunagba, PDP’s National Publicity Secretary said it is ironic that “an embattled Tinubu, who is beleaguered by uncountable cases of fraudulent activities, including perjury, forgery, treasury looting, corruption and narcotic-related conviction can attempt to impugn on the unimpeachable integrity of the PDP presidential candidate.
“The effect of the conviction and forfeiture of the sum of $460,000 by Tinubu confirms that he is ineligible and not qualified to contest for the Office of the President of Nigeria as required by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
“Having been convicted, sentenced and fined for narcotic trafficking in a criminal suit filed pursuant to the United States Criminal Code, Asiwaju Tinubu cannot by virtue of Section 137 (1)(d) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) seek office as President of Nigeria.”
Also, Kola Ologbondiyan, spokesman of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) called for the arrest and questioning of Tinubu for allegedly forming a squad code-named “Jagaban Army”.
He alleged that the “Jagaban Army” was meant to “disrupt the 2023 general elections and raid the polling units for votes on behalf of Tinubu.
He said the move is also an affront to “the Nigeria Armed Forces and other security agencies as well as an assault on the sovereignty of our nation.”
According to Ologbondiyan, “It is reprehensible that Tinubu can create a rogue force just for the purposes of undermining the electoral and security arrangements of our nation.
“Our campaign holds that this nefarious act of the APC Tinubu/Shettima Campaign lends credence to the position of the PDP and well-meaning Nigerians that Tinubu, as well as his rank and file, has set out to make our nation ungovernable and thereafter disrupt the 2023 presidential election using his army of ‘Jagabandits’.
“The notion of ‘Jagaban Army’ is a ploy to bring hoodlums, thugs and gangsters together under the cover of the APC and turn them into official militia that will be used to unleash mayhem on the day of election.”
By Saawua Terzungwe, Baba Martins, (Abuja) & Iniabasi Umo (Uyo)
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