Atiku alleges Buhari’s cut deal with Yari, Masari to ‘capture’ Zamfara, Katsina States

The Presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has said accused President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, APC, party of allegedly cutting a deal with the governors of Zamfara and Katsina to “capture” the states. Atiku also said he welcomes “whatever reasonable measures the Federal Government takes to put an end to the needless loss of lives and property in Zamfara and Katsina States,” but warned that “imposing emergency rule in the two states can only address the symptoms rather than the cause of the current security crisis facing the North West states.”

Reacting to the call by Governor Abdul-Aziz Yari Abubakar for the imposition of a State of Emergency in Zamfara State, Atiku said, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Mr. Phrank Shaibu, that a fundamental solution must be sought to the crisis to ensure lasting peace. The statement claimed “the deal being struck between the federal government and the Governors of Zamfara and Katsina States reflects the desperation of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led FG to “capture” the states at all cost during next month’s general elections.”

“The deal, cut at a meeting in the presidential villa in Abuja is simple: The FG will impose a state of emergency in Zamfara, to provide a window for APC to field a candidate for the governorship election in the state, having failed to do so within the time frame stipulated by the Commission.” In the statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by Shaibu, as seen in happeningnownews.com, Atiku said that “everything that is required for this manipulation has been provided by the leadership of the party.”

Atiku, in the statement said “the implication of the plot is that even President Buhari, for all his sweet words on ensuring free and fair elections and avoiding unethical measures to win at all cost, is ready to do anything just to capture Zamfara and Katsina States for his party.”

The PDP Presidential Candidate, however, said “although the plot is meant to put his party at a disadvantage, PDP would not lose any sleep over the ignoble deal, since the battle to rescue Nigeria from incompetence and bad leadership will be fought by the people themselves and not by the Governor of Zamfara or President Buhari’s hatchet men.”

Atiku said “the State of Emergency will simply result in more militarization of the affected areas, more road blocks and the constriction of the civil liberties of the people,” adding that “unless legitimate and more far-reaching measures are adopted for common good, the perpetrators of the crisis will simply leave the affected areas and move to other areas to continue their dastardly act.” He called on Governor Yari to resign “since he has confessed to his failure to protect the security of lives and property of the people of the state.”

“In other climes, Governor Yari would have gone ahead to address the people of Zamfara State who elected him into office to let them know that he is incapable of protecting them, instead of merely calling on the President to declare a state of emergency in the state. There is no need for any expanded argument or unnecessary debate on what is apt at this moment. Heavens will not fall if Governor Yari resigns, since he won’t be the first governor to do so, as Robert J. Walker, Governor of Kansas in the USA resigned as far back as 1857 under similar circumstance after confessing to his inability to preserve the peace or promote public welfare of his people,” the statement concluded.