Atiku to sue PDP over waiver

FORMER Vice-President Atiku Abubakar is set to sue the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over its reluctance to grant him the waiver to contest next year’s presidential election.

Drawing a parallel between the party’s declaration that President Goodluck Jonathan could contest, in spite of the party’s zoning policy and the bid to deny him a waiver, Atiku said it would be wrong to prevent him from running.

He said: "PDP says there is zoning in its constitution but Jonathan has the right under the Constitution of Nigeria. It is correct. PDP says Atiku needs a waiver. PDP is wrong because I have a right under the Constitution to contest. The same right Jonathan has."

Atiku spoke in Abuja yesterday while addressing members of the Turaki Vanguard.

According to the constitution of the PDP, the former Vice President is not eligible to run for any elective office in the party because he has not spent two consecutive years as a member but can only do so if he is granted a waiver by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party after due recommendation by the Adamawa State chapter of the party.

He said he would go to court to ensure that neither he nor any other member of the PDP was denied the right to contest election on the grounds of lack of waiver.

Atiku said: "So, you see, I will like to go to court to contest that waiver so that nobody in the state will stop you from running, so that no governor or local government chairman will say oh, you need waiver at the local government level to become councillor or you need waiver at the local government level to become member of the House of Assembly. No.

"Any provision in the constitution of the party that conflicts with the provisions of the country’s Constitution, those of you who are lawyers know that they are void. It is only if you allow them.

"But if you challenge them, you will get your right. And the courts are just too happy to give you your fundamental human rights. The moment you go to them, they will be too happy to give them to you.

"We were born free, our Constitution has guaranteed us all these freedoms and we should not allow anybody to take those freedoms from us no matter how powerful he is."

Atiku berated former President Olusegun Obasanjo whom he accused of disallowing party members from expressing their opinions and having lawful associations when he was in office.

He said now that Obasanjo is out of office, people are once again free to express their minds and exercise their freedom of association.

Atiku added: "If you could recall, since this support group was established, have I ever spoken before you like this? Now, I am standing before you. Do you know why I am standing before you? Because together, we have made it possible, we have driven out the dictator; we have preserved the sanctity and credibility of our Constitution which allows for unfettered free and fair freedom of association".

Waste of time,Atiku and His lawyers are just wasting time,He is a failure from the beginning and now in the end,His greed is what is choking him,what has Atiku ever offered Nigeria,not even his home town felt his existence,let him go ahead and waste the money he and Obj stole from Nigerians foolishly on lawsuits ,while Obj wisely use his.

He is doing the right thing,the rule of law supposed to be followed ,instead of enimity.