Nyok|13 November 2018
CALABAR —Cross River Youth for Ayade and Atiku (CRYFAA), a political support group for the presidential candidate of the People's Democratic Party, PDP, Monday, condemned the search of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar at his arrival from Dubai at the airport on Sunday NEGROIDHAVEN can say.
The group represented by Arc Eric Akpo the CEO of CRYFAA said that the search was a disregard for the rule of law and tantamount to intimidation. Akpo who charged the Federal Government led by the All Progressives Congress, APC, to desist from such moves, added that they will be consistent in challenging the APC and undoing the misfortunes the party has brought on Nigerians.
His words, 'I want to say that the youths of Cross River State and the entire members of Cross River Youth For Ayade and Atiku (CRYFAA) totally condemn the frisking of our principal and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, His Excellency Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, at the airport.
'The search of his aircraft and his belongings by the security men at the airport in Abuja shows a total disregard and total disrespect for the rule of law.
How can you subject the presidential candidate of a party and the presidential hopeful of the people…The sure in coming President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to such disrespect.
'After all attempts to smear his name, and person and character with all forms of false allegations, all forms of lies as promulgated by Mr Liar Mohammed… And after all these have failed, you now come to search him? Based on what allegation? What was the intention of the search? What kind of inhumane treatment could this be?
'We can no longer as youths keep quiet and watch these things happen. We want to say very emphatically that it should not happen again. Because we are not going to allow the government of the day to use intimidation, to use security agencies that use weapons bought with tax payers money to intimidate the will of the people.
'Fear was used to cower the people, to chase the supporters of PDP away from the elections in Osun State, so that they could perfect all the elections malpractice and bring out a sham of the results. We want to say that the youths of Cross River State and in fact the youths of Nigeria as a whole will not allow that kind of scenario to replay itself in this forthcoming 2019 elections.
'Henceforth, we want to register it, we want to make a very sound warning that the APC led federal government should desist from using intimidation to displace the opposition party. And we are steadfast and very focused on changing the government of the day, we want to reverse the misfortune that the APC has brought upon us. And we will not at any point in time bulge to this, there is no form of intimidation, no form force that will make us shy away from this.'
On his part, the Director-General of CRYFAA, Mr Esuong Uwase Esuong who said that the seeming sudden search of Abubakar is a makeover by the presidency to intimidate the PDP, added that the APC allow democracy a chance in Nigerians.
His words, '2015 we had elections in this country, Buhari traveled every now and then, and came back, there was not a search like this. So, why this search all of a sudden in this country? What are we afraid of? What are we scared of? This is a democracy… Let's respect the tenets of democracy in totality.'
When queried on the 2015 search of Mr Rotimi Amaechi, the DG said that that search may have also been inspired by the Presidency.
Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar has escaped arrest after Security agents from the presidency reportedly searched his aircraft after he landed in Abuja after a trip to Dubai.
In a tweet, Atiku submitted that the move was made to intimidate him and his staff.
He said that 'I arrived to Abuja this morning to a search by agents of the state, aimed at intimidating me and my staff. I am committed to building a Nigeria where no citizen is intimidated by agents of state who are paid to protect them.'
CRYFAA is a grassroot democratic organisation given to secure the 2019 electoral victory of governor Ben Ayade
Efio-Ita Nyok
Is the Blogger-in-Chief, Editor-in-Chief & Publisher of NegroidHaven.org.