Nigeria’s former Vice President between 1999 and 2007, and now a presidential aspirant, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is disturbed by the alarm raised by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration plots to arrest him on framed-up charges.
Obasanjo had in a statement on Friday, alerted that he had been reliably informed that he has been placed on the watch list by the Federal Government due to his criticism of the administration.
Reacting, Atiku, who was Obasanjo’s deputy and a presidential hopeful on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) said that Obasanjo is a historical figure in Nigeria’s democracy and advised President Buhari to call the security agencies to order.
According to the statement: “I have received with serious concern the purported alert raised by former President Olusegun Obasanjo of an alleged plot by the government to arrest him on trumped up charges.
“I am disturbed by this turn of events in our dear country considering the huge price that was paid for us to have democracy.
“I wish to advice that government and its agents should retrace their steps to avoid aggravating the already over heated polity.
“The alert by President Obasanjo is coming against the backdrop of earlier alerts by some leaders, especially those of the opposition of deliberate and orchestrated attempt to intimidate and frame them up.
“I wish to state without equivocation that President Obasanjo is a historical figure in Nigeria’s democracy and that the primary purpose of government is to provide security of lives and property of all citizens and residents irrespective of their status, political affiliation, religious inclination and ethnic leanings.
“Our nation has lost so much precious lives and property that we can no longer afford to travel that road again.
“I wish to appeal to President Buhari to call the security agencies to order in order to douse the tension in the land.”
