DEATH THREAT: Buhari is getting confused –Atiku

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has described President Muhammadu Buhari’s statement that ballot box snatchers will pay with their lives as an incitement to electoral violence and an offence under the electoral act.

He also said that Buhari is getting confused with when he was President under military rule and is now showing his true colours and complete disregard for Nigeria’s Constitution and laws of the country.

Atiku stated this in a statement on Monday by his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, in response to the comment which Buhari made after the APC caucus meeting to discuss the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) late minute postponement of the 2019 general elections.

He said, “We were shocked to hear General Buhari live on national television threatening to kill people for an offence where no such proscription exists under law. The last time we looked the death-penalty was not a sanction of the 2010 election act.

“In fact, threatening people with death in the context of an election is incitement to electoral violence, which is an offence under that act.

“Once again General Buhari is showing his true colours and complete disregard for our constitution and the laws of this country. He is getting confused with when he was President under military rule.

“His fig leaf of being a ‘reformed democrat’ has been blown away by this latest statement leaving his democratic credentials as naked as the day he was born,” the statement read.

While describing himself as democrat and defender of laws and constitution, Atiku said “rather than make up new penalties on the spot in a press conference, our plans to establish the EFCC by using the framework of the 2002 establishing act of the EFCC have been well researched so that we can introduce this new entity within days of assuming office.”

He added, “Likewise, we do not believe in the principle of retrospective legislation so it will be empowered to investigate and prosecute electoral malpractice based on the 2010 Electoral Act. Any person considering conducting electoral malpractice, inciting violence or the illegal arrest of political opponents should be put on notice that my administration on entering office will apply the full force of the law on them.”