After what has been described as a “mild domestic accident”, Vice President Atiku Abu-bakar was yesterday night flown abroad on the presidential Jet for surgery on his knee after President Olusegun Obasanjo had called to wish him well.
But the temporary truce between Obasanjo and Atiku came a day after the VP had written Senate President Ken Nnamani, drawing his attention to what he described as moves by the President to derail the transition programme.
Atiku, according to THISDAY checks, had the domestic accident while walking on the treadmill, during a morning exercise at his residence and went to the Aso Clinics for a check-up.
THISDAY checks further reveal that following a scan, it was discovered that what Atiku considered mild was actually bigger as he had torn his tendon and would require surgery on his knee and was so adviced by the doctors.
Speaking to THISDAY on phone shortly before he travelled out of the country last night, Atiku said he had a knock on his knee while doing the exercise and initially thought it was no big deal until he began to feel the pain. “I had campaign programmes for the day but when the pain was getting severe I had to go to Aso Clinics where, after a scan, it was discovered that I had a torn tendon and would require surgery.
“While making arrangement for an aircraft, the Chief of Staff to the President, (Major General Abdullahi Mohammed) informed the president who called to commiserate with me. He also said he had instructed that the Presidential Jet be released for me to travel out of the country.”
The VP said he would only be gone for a few days and would return to the country shortly to continue his campaign.
Meanwhile, Atiku has taken his struggle to contest the April 21 Presidential election to Senate President Ken Nnamani, drawing his attention to what he called moves by President Olusegun Oba-sanjo to scuttle the election and have it postponed.
In the letter copied to the European Union, US and the UK governments, Atiku said he needed to draw Senate attention to the grave danger posed to the ongoing transition programme by the growing culture of arbitrariness, reckless disregard for the rule of law and the gross abuse of democratic institutions by the president.
According to Atiku, “it is now very clear to all discerning people in and outside Nigeria that President Olusegun Obasanjo and a clique within the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are determined to contrive a crisis that will necessitate the indefinite postponement of the April elections as well as the May 29th handover date.”
According to him, “the gross abuse and unconscionable manipulation of public institutions, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the State Security Service (SSS), the police and the Federal Executive Council, are all intended to serve the selfish interests of a President” who he claimed is hell-bent on perpetuating himself in office.
Atiku said the President has sworn to frustrate his (Atiku’s) legitimate desire to contest the Presidential election in April because he led the frustration of his desire to perpetuate himself in the office.
“He has used state institutions to harass, intimidate and humiliate me. He has erected several legal and political obstacles against me. As a democrat and a strong believer in the rule of law, I have confronted these vendetta- induced obstacles and challenges through our legal and political systems.
“Thus far, I have won almost all the court cases and won the hearts and minds of most Nigerians who have come to admire my patience, tenacity and the courage to stand up to evil,” Atiku said.
According to the VP, the latest legal victory came on March 7, 2007 “when a Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice B.O.Kuewumi ruled that INEC does not have the powers under the 1999 constitution and the Electoral Act 2006 to disqualify a candidate for an election from contesting.
“The court went on to state that ‘the power to disqualify any candidate sponsored by any political party from contesting an election is vested in the courts as provided for in Section 32(5) of the Electoral Act 2006 and in any other legislation that is validly enacted in that behalf’.”
The VP explained, “how in spite of this very clear and unambiguous ruling, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is bent on denying me my fundamental human right as a free citizen of this country to offer myself for elective office.
“The INEC leadership, obviously acting on the instructions of the Presidency, declared rather arrogantly on Thursday March 8th, that ‘court judgment or no court judgment, Vice President Atiku Abubakar remains disqualified from the April Presidential Election'”.
He then urged the Senate President to note that “such blatant disregard for the decision of a sacred institution, as the judiciary, is dangerous for the future of our country. It is a clear invitation to anarchy and it is the beginning of the end of the institutions, which serve as the pillars of our young democracy.
“This is not right. This is criminal. And it must not be allowed to stand. It is sad and unfortunate that INEC has become part of the plot to scuttle our transition programme and indeed, our hard-earned democracy.”
Atiku further urged the Senate to “as a stakeholder, I urge you in the name of God and for the love of our country to do something about these serious threats to the transition programme.”
He reminded the Senate that given the fragility of this country, the National Assembly should be concerned about potential threats to national peace and stability. “INEC has become an obstacle to free and fair elections in April and we owe it a duty to the Nigerian people to check this executive interference in the work of the commission and urgently take steps to restore its independence and integrity.”
Mar122007