The Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar-led National Peace Committee (NPC) yesterday met with the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 23 presidential election, Mr. Atiku Abubakar, his running mate, Mr. Peter Obi, the senate president, Dr. Bukola Saraki, the party’s national chairman, Mr. Uche Secondus, speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; and other PDP leaders are also in attendance.
The meeting was in connection with the results of the election in which the incumbent president and presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Muhammadu Buhari was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Atiku had rejected the outcome of the exercise and threatened to challenge the result in court.
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, which took place at Atiku’s residence, Abubakar said his committee decided to address the disagreement, given its mission to always ensure that there is peace in the country.
“Currently now, tensions are high and we need to see how we can douse the situation. We have come to listen to the grievances from the PDP. We will continue shuttling to see how we can make sure that the peace is maintained,” he said.
Asked if the talks would be extended to the ruling party, Abubakar said: “Naturally, when you are dealing of course you need to contact all the stakeholders.”
The committee later met behind closed door with the vice president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa
It was gathered that the NPC had asked Atiku and his group their grievances about the outcome of the election.
Atiku’s group was said to have narrated alleged intimidation of the PDP supporters in some states and alleged inflation of votes in favour of President Buhari in some states.
The PDP was also said to have told the committee that the party was in possession of documentary evidence to show that the election was characterised with irregularities that were too weighty to ignore.
“The committee came to meet with us and asked us how we felt about the outcome of the election. We explained our disappointment to the committee and they agreed with us on some of the issues we raised.
“The committee members pleaded with us to accept the outcome and probably forget the issue of going to court and all that.
“But we let them know the danger of ignoring such calamity as it would send dangerous signal to both the international community and future generations in the country.
“We have to lay a good example that we cannot build on nothing. It will be dangerous to forget the massive rigging and dangerous things that happened in many parts of the country,” said a source.
Some other members of the committee on Abubakar’s entourage were the Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Matthew Kukah and the Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan and Rev. Fr Atta Barkindo of the NPC Secretariat.
