Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described as sheer stupidity alleged fresh plot to extend the handover date from May 29, 2007 to October 1. Also, he dismissed the fear that an impeachment motion against him may be moved in the National Assembly this week.
Speaking at a media interaction in Lagos on Sunday, the vice president said the nation was not in the mood for any change in handover date, warning that those behind the fresh move should drop it as Nigerians would no longer tolerate such.
�On the issue of shift in handover date, it is a stupid thing to think about. The nation is not in the mood for that. If our representatives in the National Assembly have our interest at heart, this is not the time to think of shift in handover date,� Atiku stated in response to questions on attempts by some lawmakers to rally support for tenure elongation.
He wondered why an administration, which claims to be fighting corruption, would engage in bribery to get the constitution amended to achieve an extension in handover date.
While commenting on the impeachment motion allegedly being sponsored by controversial Senator Arthur Nzeribe against him, the vice president said: �If we want the international community to regard us as a serious nation, the issue of impeachment should be put aside. We are in a transition process, that should be our focus. We should concentrate our energy on that now rather than trying to impeach a president, vice president or governor. We should be concerned about the success of the on-going transition process.�
On his security, in the face of his continued face-off with President Obasanjo, Atiku said that the Federal Government should be held responsible if anything happened to him in the course of his campaign tours across the country.
Atiku, who is continuing his campaign despite fears that he may have been disqualified, said on his campaign tour to the home state of President Olusegun Obasanjo: �I feel safe going to Ogun. There is nothing that will stop me from my campaign tours. The law enforcement agents are there to provide security for me. They should be held responsible.�
He, however, expressed concern over the refusal of the Federal Government to restore his full privileges as vice president despite a court order directing it to do so.
His words: �Up till now, the Presidency has not restored my security cover. I have only four SSS operatives and half of my police security. My official vehicles have not been restored, all vehicles in my convoy I bought them, including the ones used by the police despite the Court of Appeal�s judgment.�
�That is what surprises me, that we have a government which does not obey court order. Unfortunately, we don�t have a president who likes to be advised.�
The vice president dismissed his purported disqualification from the presidential race as a non-issue, stressing that �someone somewhere is just trying to confuse Nigerians. As far as we are concerned, it is a non-issue. We have submitted our forms, photographs and other materials. The date for the publication of candidates� list is not even due. INEC has no power to qualify, disqualify, verify or screen candidates.
All this is in our electoral law.�
While stressing his commitment to the fight against corruption, Atiku said that despite the various denials by the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) he was not only instrumental to his appointment as the head of the anti-graft agency, but also facilitated a take-off loan of N300 million to the commission.
He said that if elected president, he would insulate EFCC by proposing, �an amendment that will make the commission independent considering what this president has been using EFCC to do.�