ABUJA — Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned that nothing must happen to NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi and former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai, describing their safety as a constitutional obligation and a test of Nigeria’s democratic credentials. In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku declared: “Nothing must happen to Peter Obi. An injury to one is an injury to all. When one opposition leader is intimidated, every opposition voice is diminished.”
He expressed concern over the Presidency’s response to Obi’s public comments with “personal insults and derogatory language rather than the restraint expected of a democratic government.” “The Presidency must understand that democratic leadership demands composure, not contempt. A government that answers every criticism with abuse projects insecurity, not confidence.”
Atiku argued: “The opposition is not the enemy of Nigeria. Poverty is the enemy. Hunger is the enemy. Insecurity is the enemy. Corruption is the enemy. Kidnapping is the enemy. The daily bloodletting across our communities is the enemy. A government that devotes more energy to attacking its critics than confronting these existential challenges has confused political survival with the purpose of governance.” He noted Nigerians are grappling with economic hardship and worsening insecurity: “There are schoolchildren and teachers still waiting to be reunited with their families. There are countless innocent Nigerians languishing in the camps of kidnappers. These are the emergencies that deserve the full machinery of government.”
Atiku restated his call for El-Rufai’s immediate release: “The continued detention of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has generated widespread public concern. Every Nigerian, irrespective of political affiliation, is entitled to due process, equal protection under the law and the presumption of innocence.” He urged the Federal Government to confront controversies with transparency: “Public confidence is not restored through insults or propaganda. It is restored through openness, accountability and the courage to answer legitimate questions.” Atiku warned: “History will not remember how fiercely a government fought its critics. It will remember whether it protected its citizens, upheld justice, rescued the vulnerable and preserved the democracy entrusted to its care. Nothing must happen to Peter Obi. Release Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. Bring home every abducted schoolchild, every teacher and every innocent Nigerian still languishing in the hands of kidnappers.”