Ime Akpan
The candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 presidential election, Mr. Atiku Abubakar, has said that the United States travel ban on certain category of Nigerian politicians undermining democracy has confirmed his claim that the election was rigged in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by his media adviser, Mr. Paul Ibe, the PDP candidate insisted that he was robbed of victory at the poll.
“In the aftermath of the daylight robbery that occurred on election day, the regime of General Muhammadu Buhari and its allies went into a propaganda overdrive to deny the obvious.
“However, it is a truism that no matter how far and fast falsehood, or in this case, rigging, has traveled, it must eventually be overtaken by truth.
“It seems that day has come. After many months of living in denial, the Buhari regime is now faced with the truth in the form of a US visa ban on politicians who undermined Nigeria’s democracy”.
He quoted the spokesman of the US State Department, Morgan Ortagus, as saying: “We condemn those whose acts of violence, intimidation, or corruption harmed Nigerians or undermined the democratic process.
“The secretary of state is imposing visa restrictions on Nigerians believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining democracy in Nigeria. These individuals have operated with impunity at the expense of the Nigerian people and undermined democratic principles and human rights.”
Atiku said the above statement supported his position that the 2019 elections were ‘undermined by the actions of state actors and institutions.
“We also wish to thank the United States of America for standing with the Nigerian people against those whose desire is to truncate our democracy.
“We urge the Nigerian people not to despair. There is hope on the horizon. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
“The myriad of security, economic and social challenges Nigeria currently faces, which has resulted in our nation becoming the world headquarters for extreme poverty, will, God willing, soon be over, with the prospect of purposeful and result-oriented leadership,” he said.
