Stop Bullying Judiciary, Focus On Redeeming Disastrous Eight Years – Atiku Fires Buhari

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to stop bullying the judiciary.

In a statement to Naija News on Monday by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, Atiku asked the President to focus on redeeming his disastrous eight years of misgovernance.

The former Vice President was reacting to a statement credited to the Minister of Information Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.

Recall that the Minister had berated the Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party over their reaction to President Muhammadu Buhari’s analysis of the 2023 presidential election.

While speaking last Thursday during a meeting with APC governors in Abuja, Buhari said while the All Progressives Congress (APC) was working hard to retain the presidency, opposition parties were basking in the euphoria of false hope.

Lai Mohammed had also advised the aggrieved political parties to stop their endless complaint over the polls.

Speaking via a statement issued on Sunday, Mohammed argued that the analysis of the president on the reason for the opposition’s loss in the 2023 elections was incontrovertible.

Reacting, Atiku described Buhari statement as disgusting and shameful, accusing the president of playing the role of chief marketing officer of the electoral heist deliberately orchestrated to keep the ruling APC against the wishes of Nigerians.

The statement said: “Starting from President Muhammadu Buhari himself when he made a remark that will forever remain in infamy while hosting some governors of his party, and alleged “the opposition lost the election due to overconfidence and complacency,” we have seen a pattern whereby senior officials of government are subtly bullying the judiciary to submission.

“While it is generally acknowledged that the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has a notoriety of acting busybody, it is ridiculous that the Minister will take a cue from his boss to weigh in on a matter that is already before the courts.

“The Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government has already breasted the tape for being the most irresponsible government in Nigeria on account of breaking its promises.

“Whereas President Buhari and his appointee INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu had promised Nigerians and the entire world of conducting a credible, free and fair 2023 general election wherein technology will be deployed to track and protect every single ballot, we have seen how woefully this administration failed to deliver on its promises.

“We will not wish to explain much on the depravity that trailed the conduct of the 2023 general election since it remains a matter before the judiciary.

“However, it is important to caution the APC and, especially, senior officials of the current administration to desist from making commentaries that portend as subtle acts of bullying against the judicial processes that is currently putting the legality of the last election into trial.

“If officials of the Buhari government must explain anything within their remaining days, let it be about telling Nigerians how they failed on their promises including issues of naira redesign; destruction instead of creation of jobs; the pervading state of insecurity and divisions along ethno-religious and political lines; galloping inflation and high cost of living; removing the corruption around the issues of fuel subsidy and their latest promise of conducting a national census, which, typically, they have failed to deliver upon.

“They must also explain to Nigerians why the country that they are leaving behind before going back to Niger Republic is the poverty capital of the world.”