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Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 23, 2019 elections, Atiku Abubakar today assured that he will not succumb to intimidation and mortgage the mandate that was freely expressed by Nigerians at the polls, even as he inaugurated his legal team today to challenge the result of presidential elections.
Two separate statements signed by the Media Adviser to Atiku, Mr. Paul Ibe, which revealed the opposition presidential candidate’s stance, also hinted that Atiku’s assurance came “against the backdrop of the invasion and arrest of Alhaji Babalele Abdullahi, son-in-law and finance director of his group of companies in Abuja on Saturday, 2 March 2019.
Atiku in the statements also named Dr Livy Uzoukwu, SAN as the head of his legal team.
Full text of the two statements is published below.
• PRESS RELEASE
I will not mortgage the Peoples’ mandate – Atiku
Abuja, Nigeria, 02 March 2019:
Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, assures Nigerians that under no circumstance will he mortgage the mandate of Nigerians as freely expressed on the 23rd of February, 2019.
This assurance comes against the backdrop of the invasion and arrest of Alhaji Babalele Abdullahi, son-in-law and finance director of his group of companies in Abuja on Saturday, 2 March 2019.
In a desperate move to have Atiku Abubakar concede and congratulate Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at about 8.30am today (Saturday) invaded the Maitama residence of Babalele. They were however not given access into the house until his lawyers arrived.
The EFCC agents numbering about two dozen came in two regular vehicles, an 18-seater Toyota bus (registration Abuja CS 522 RSH) and a Hilux van.
They came with a search warrant to search the house and office of Babalele and found nothing incriminating. They then proceeded to his office at Oakland Centre in Maitama and found nothing incriminating there. However, they took away some documents of landed property.
Not done, the EFCC officials stormed his Wuse residence where they again found nothing incriminating after the search.
Afterwards, Babalele was taken away to the EFCC office in Wuse to make a statement alongside Mr. Lawan Ayuba.
It was gathered that the petition relied upon to invade the residence and office of Babalele was authored by a brother of the wife of President Buhari.
As a law-abiding citizen, Atiku Abubakar recognizes the constitutional role of the EFCC and indeed any other agency of the government to carry out investigations, but will not be cowed by any attempt to blackmail him into mortgaging his mandate.
Signed:
Paul Ibe
• Media Adviser to Atiku Abubakar, Presidential candidate of PDP and Vice President of
Nigeria, 1999-2007.

• PRESS RELEASE
#NigeriaDecides2019: Atiku Inaugurates Legal Team
Abuja, Nigeria, 02 March, 2019: Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, at the weekend inaugurated his legal team to challenge the result of the 23 February presidential election. It is headed by Dr Livy Uzoukwu, SAN.
The Independent National Electoral Commission had on Wednesday, 27 February declared Muhammadu Buhari as winner of the election.
However Atiku Abubakar on Thursday, 28 February rejected the result citing several malpractices including the use of the military to perfect voters’ intimidation and suppression in PDP strongholds, connivance of INEC officials, security agents and the ruling party to manufacture bogus figures and outright falsification of the returns from the polling units.
Consequently, he had given notice that he will use all available legitimate means to challenge the result of the election.
On Thursday night the PDP presidential candidate met with members of the National Peace Committee prompting concerns in some quarters that he may have been prevailed upon not to proceed with the challenge.
“I have just inaugurated my legal team and charged them with the responsibility of ensuring that our stolen mandate is retrieved”, Atiku said.
“I am encouraged by the presence of fearless men and women of the Bench. The judiciary which had in the past discharged itself ably is once again being called upon to deliver judgment on this matter that will be untainted by lucre and uncowed by the threat of immoral power”, he added
Atiku Abubakar assures Nigerians that sooner than later these noble dispensers of justice will give a judgment that will represent a historic denunciation of electoral fraud and mandate bandit.
Signed:
Paul Ibe
Media Adviser to Atiku Abubakar, Presidential candidate of PDP and Vice President of
Nigeria, 1999-2007.