NNPP Call for the Disqualification of Atiku, Tinubu Presidential Bid

Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress has been petitioned by the Katsina State chapter of the New Nigeria Peoples Party to be disqualified from the presidential race.

Sani Litti, the state chairman of the NNPP, claimed that financial crimes tainted the two parties’ presidential primaries at a press conference in Katsina on Monday.

He also demanded that the Department of State Services and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission detain Tinubu and Atiku.

Litti claimed that from 2015 until the present, more than 50,000 Nigerians had perished as a result of banditry.

As a result of what he dubbed the nation’s lack of security, he demanded that President Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (ret.) resign.

The chairman also tasked the National Assembly’s members to start the impeachment process against the President if he refused to step down.

He also demanded that a state of emergency be declared due to security concerns in Katsina, Kaduna, Zamfara, Niger, and Sokoto.

In addition to hiring mercenaries for six months to combat banditry, rebels, and tribal militias, Litti encouraged the Federal Government to recruit one million young Nigerians and train them as special forces to safeguard the nation once the mercenaries leave.

He stated, “ We reinstate the call on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately resign from office for his inability to secure Nigeria. Insecurity issues keep rising due principally to bad governance, including a rise in poverty, poor economic policies, a fall in the standard of living of the people, an upsurge of ethnic militias, an increase in corruption activities, crime and criminal activities, an increase in the use of drugs and several factors.

“In the event of the President refusing to resign, we urge the National Assembly to apply constitutional means to save the lives and properties of Nigerians.

“The government of Nigeria should, as a matter of urgency, declare a state of emergency on security in the following states: Katsina; Kaduna; Zamfara; Niger and Sokoto states.

“In this respect, we are calling on the Federal Government to immediately hire mercenaries for six months to fight the rising banditry, insurgency and tribal militias. Similarly, the government should, as a matter of urgency, recruit one million young Nigerians to be trained as Special Forces to protect and secure the country when the mercenaries leave in six months.”

In addition, the NNPP demanded that Atiku and Tinubu be detained and charged with crimes related to what it claimed occurred at the conventions where they were chosen as the standard-bearers for their respective parties in the general elections of 2023.

The NNPP declared,” We call on INEC to disqualify Atiku Abubakar, Bola Ahmed Tinubu from contesting the presidential election in 2023 and also for the EFCC, the Police and DSS to arrest them and all other actors who participated in the convention. We believe that should any one of these two wins the election next year, and the country will slide into deeper corruption and financial crimes because the process which produces them is rooted in corruption.”

The Director of Media and Communication for Tinubu Campaign Organisation, Bayo Onanuga, when contacted, publicity secretary is in a better position to address this issue.”

Also, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, stated, “I have not read the NNPP’s call for disqualifying our party candidate. You can forward the statement or press statement to me. I cannot react to what I have not seen.

“If I read the statement and decide it is important enough to respond, I will release a statement to address it. Responding to you is not my only option. I can call a press conference tomorrow and deal with it if I think it is serious.”

When reached, PDP spokesman Debo Ologunagba claimed to be unaware of the NNPP’s claim and said he needed to read Litti’s statement to reply.