The National Vice-Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (North-East), Mustapha Salihu, has said the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the February 23 presidential poll, Atiku Abubakar, was deceived into believing that the results of the election were transmitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s server.
He said the deception was the reason the former Vice-President was defeated by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Election Petitions Tribunal on Wednesday.
Salihu said, “Nobody uses server today. You don’t have one big box that is called server anywhere. They (Atiku and the PDP) were ‘jobbed’. Some people told them there was a server, took money and they filed a case based on that. Although their lawyers did a good job in presenting the case, it was dismissed. The victory is not for the APC alone but for all Nigerians. Now that we have done away with the distraction ‘the next level’ is assured.”
The APC chief spoke with journalists during the inaugural meeting of the Adamawa Stakeholders’ Meeting where a reconciliation committee was raised.
He said the committee was set up “to synergise and rebuild the party in Adamawa State.”
The Adamawa politician said the outcome of Atiku’s petition was expected as the issues canvassed by him were frivolous.
He said, “How can you question the credentials of somebody who had served as a platoon commander, company commander, battalion commander, General Officer Commanding, minister, military administrator, Head of State and President?
“A lot of things happened from 2014 that they started looking for his record. I had the opportunity to serve in the army and I know they will not photocopy your credentials until they have seen your original credentials no matter who your father is.
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Many people have been dismissed from the Nigerian Defence Academy because the military will make background checks. There is a unit that does that.”
However, the PDP in its reaction described Salihu’s claim as unfounded and incorrect.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Olagbondiyan, said the position of the PDP and Atiku that INEC used a server for the election could not disputed.
Ologbondiyan said, “How can he be talking like that? He talked like an illiterate. INEC has a server.”
