You’re Not Bound by Buhari’s Illegal Order, Atiku Tells Military, Police

Pat Stevens/

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, today told the military and the police not to obey the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari to deal ruthlessly with ballot box snatchers during Saturday’s and subsequent elections.

Abubakar stated this in his address at the ongoing National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting at Wadata Plaza, national secretariat of the party in Abuja.

Buhari had disclosed yesterday during the National Executive Committee meeting of the All Progressives Congress that he had directed the security forces to ensure that anyone who snatches ballot box during the elections does so at the expense of his or her life.

But Abubakar described the President’s directive as “manifestly illegal” and not bounding on the security forces.

Abubakar stated: “I want to direct my message at the military and police commanders. I want you to know that you are not bound to obey the directive of the President because it is manifestly illegal. Any professional military officer or policeman should know that he is not bound by an unlawful order no matter who gives such an order.

“Go back and study the Constitution, go back and study the Military Act and other subsidiary legislations, you have no role in the conduct of the election whatsoever.”

The PDP presidential candidate also complained about what he described as the plan by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to slow down card readers in regions considered his strongholds.

According to him, some people were trained in China and are equipped with gadgets that look like mobile phones.

He said the gadgets will be used to slow down card readers in his strongholds and fasten them in other regions.

He said the plan is to slow the card readers in North-central, South-south and South-east, but to increase the rate of operation of the card readers in the North-west and North-east.

“We have just discovered that the APC have hired many of their operatives and have taken them to China to be trained, and they have been so trained, and they are back, and they are equipped with devices that are meant to slow or fasten our card readers,” he said.

“So, if you are in the South-south, South-east and North-central, you are likely to get your card readers to be slowed by those APC operatives,” he further stated.

Abubakar said his party has seen the machines; and has interviewed some of those who have gone on the training.

Providing more explanation of the alleged plot, he stated: “If you are from the North-west or North-east, the tendency is that they will use these machines to fast-track the readings of your card readers so that many of their supporters can vote while disenfranchising the other three zones.

“I thought you should know that we have supplied the information to the campaign council, and you will even see the copy of the machine which each and every one of those operatives is to hold. It is like a telephone but that is its job. I felt I should let you know, and you should be guided accordingly.”

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