Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has stated in clear terms that the arrest and incarceration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo on trumped up charges will create further tension in the country.
Mr Obasanjo raised the alarm on Friday through a statement by his spokesperson, Kehinde Akinyemi.
Reacting to the development through a statement he personally signed and issued through his media office, Mr Atiku warned government against acts he said could aggravate tension in the country.
Below is the statement by Mr Atiku:
Statement By former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Alarm Raised By former President Olusegun Obasanjo
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 advise 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.
Atiku Abubakar
Vice President of Nigeria, 1999-2007
June 8th 2018
