The Nigerian Village Square - ATIKU: I can't believe what Obasanjo is doing to me

ATIKU: I can't believe what Obasanjo is doing to me

Written by Empowered Newswire

Sunday, 24 December 2006

President Olusegun Obasanjo had initially approved the use of the presidential jet allocated for the office of the Vice President to the incumbent Atiku Abubakar but only reversed the approval on Wednesday after Atiku won the presidential ticket of the Action Congress, Empowered Newswire reports.

In an exclusive interview with Empowered Newswire, a Nigerian news agency based in the US, Atiku who is on holiday in Potomac, in the State of Maryland, was asked about his reaction to the decision of the president to deny him the use of the presidential jet. He said he was in the US to rest before he returns to Nigeria to embark on his presidential electioneering campaign.

But he expressed concern at the developments. "We helped form a party for the president to win, and now you exclude me from that party and then you are again saying that I can't stand in another party? I just can't believe that."

Expressing confidence, Atiku said he remains the legitimate Vice President of the country irrespective of the opinion of the ruling party in the country.

Atiku disclosed that he was not completely taken by surprise as he had anticipated that denial three weeks ago when he applied for vacation.

The Vice President said while he was applying for the balance of his 2 weeks official vacation from the president, he had anticipated a possible denial. But in actuality, he said the president then had approved his trip and use of the jet. However he went on to make alternative arrangements nonetheless in case something different happens.

"After the president had approved everything and now I was winning the cases in court and then got the AC nomination, I think it became too much for him and ordered the jet grounded. The approval was withdrawn on Wednesday, " the Vice President disclosed.

Reacting to the PDP's decision to expel him and ask the president to remove him, Vice President Atiku Abubakar observed that the Peoples Democratic Party is not empowered as a party to declare his office vacant or remove him from his elected position.

Atiku explained that the constitution anticipated the removal of the president and the vice president only through impeachment proceedings at the National Assembly, or death, or resignation or if the occupant suffers permanent incapacity.

After a National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting of the PDP in Abuja last week, the party decided to expel Atiku and asked the president as "the leader of the party ... to take those actions which the constitution equips him to take to restore the structure of the presidency in accordance with article 142 which contains the requirement that whoever is to occupy the office of the vice president shall be in the same political party with the president."

But the Vice president responded saying what the PDP has asked the president to do is beyond the powers of the president. "There is no basis in law for the PDP to declare my seat vacant, PDP cannot remove the Vice President, nor the courts."

Atiku left Nigeria last week after he secured the nomination of the AC. But he was not allowed to use the presidential jet allocated to his office in a last minute denial resulting from that nomination. He arrived the US on Thursday, the day PDP took the decision to expel him.

The Vice President said he had anticipated the party's actions. "We have anticipated all their possible reactions before I left Nigeria, and our media and legal teams are responding. We have done our research and the position of the constitution is clear about how to remove the vice president."

Robot Robot is offline
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	# 1 President Olusegun Obasanjo had initially approved the use of the presidential jet allocated fo...Read the full article. Posted by Robot\| 24.12.2006 07:43

britroyal1 britroyal1 is offline
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	# 2 You know all this talk of constitutionality makes me laugh. Nigeria's constitution is written in pencil so that public officials may pick and choose which parts to follow. Having said that though, the "constitutional" truth is that the Vice-President may only be removed by impeachment, death or resignation. As neither scenario has occured, his removal from office is illegal. Our courts are nothing more than toothless lions roaring endlessly with no power to have their injunctions enforced so Atiku can sue as much as he wants. This is quite a comedic situation though. The fact is that both OBJ and Atiku have in their respective roles screwed Nigeria over. Now, their screwing each other over. So much for honour among thieves. My only regret is that while these two harebrains are involved in a political bolekaja and a ticket of incompetence/corruption prepares to assume power, it is the Nigerian people who are facing the consequences. As the old adage says: when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. Posted by britroyal1\| 24.12.2006 08:35

britroyal1 britroyal1 is offline
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	# 3 Now, their screwing each other over. sic: they are screwing each other over Posted by britroyal1\| 24.12.2006 08:37

Dr. S Adetunji Dr. S Adetunji is offline
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	# 4 I do not support both OBJ and Atiku. Both men are as vile and contemptious as they come. But I wonder how this whole saga applies when several governors, senators and rep members are known to have defected from one party to another (especially to the PDP) in the past without much Ado. What a double standard by the behemoth PDP. O'ma se o! With all the constitutional claims and counter-claims presently being made, the scenario presents veritable butter for Nigerian lawyer's bread. Time to whack, you know. Posted by Dr. S Adetunji\| 24.12.2006 09:11

planet1899 planet1899 is offline
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	# 5 Why should Atiku use his official jet for a personal trip/vacation? Official jet is for official travels, period. Atiku should know this himself andnhe wants to lead Nigeria. Posted by planet1899\| 24.12.2006 09:15

planet1899 planet1899 is offline
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	# 6 Why should Atiku use his official jet for a personal trip/vacation? Official jet is for official travels, period. Atiku should know this himself and he wants to lead Nigeria. Posted by planet1899\| 24.12.2006 09:16

jojo jojo is offline
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	# 7 what is wrong with this atiku boy self ? must he become president by all means? he was vp for almost 8years both him and his oga spending our money anyhow and now crying because he want to be next president..na god go judge all of una Posted by jojo\| 24.12.2006 09:24

EbonyLomo EbonyLomo is offline
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	# 8 =Dr. S Adetunji (PhD);145370>I do not support both OBJ and Atiku. Both men are as vile and contemptious as they come. But I wonder how this whole saga applies when several governors, senators and rep members are known to have defected from one party to another (especially to the PDP) in the past without much Ado. What a double standard by the behemoth PDP. O'ma se o! With all the constitutional claims and counter-claims presently being made, the scenario presents veritable butter for Nigerian lawyer's bread. Time to whack, you know. Dr Adetunji, i may be right in assuming you know that what every independent political party does in their organisation is entirely up to each party. So if say, a governor defects from 'SDP' to PDP, if they so choose SDP may not sanction its defecting member. In the same vain, it follows logic that if Atiku resolves that his political interests do not lie with PDP, it should not take all this controversy for him to get out of the party and indeed out of office. As the ruling party you cannot deny PDP the elective posts it has won at the elections. As such, Atiku remaining as VP having decamped to another party will be doing just that. The constitution as observed by my layman eyes are explicit on this matter. However, in true Nigerian fashion we are all playing politics with isues as simple as this when we could dbe dispensing more energyon how to make our dear Nigeria great for the benefit of all. What a shame!:cry: Posted by EbonyLomo\| 24.12.2006 09:41

kiibaati kiibaati is offline
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	# 9 What a fitting end to this 7 year old drama. When PDP rigged in and put in an arrangee president in office, they never could have guessed what they've got coming. One by one, Obasanjo threw them out of power. Etiebet, Ogbe, Danjuma...and now Atiku. In civilised countries, Atiku should have resigned by now, anyway. But then, they don't rig in civillised countries. And they respect the constituition, that much abused document in these part of the undercivilised world. Posted by kiibaati\| 24.12.2006 09:59

tengallons tengallons is offline
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	# 10 Atiku, shut up!!! Posted by tengallons\| 24.12.2006 10:16

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