Don’t Go on Exile, Group Pleads with Atiku, Obi

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

A group, The Natives has appealed to presidential candidate of Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Atiku Abubakar not to leave the country, saying their valuable contributions were needed for the development of Nigeria.

The Leader of the group, Smart Edwards, who made the call while addressing a press conference yesterday, in Abuja, urged both Atiku and Obi to stay back in the country like President Muhammadu Buhari did when he lost the election.

He said: “We are hearing rumours that some presidential candidates of various parties have started leaving the country, this a trademark of any politician who is just an opportunist.

“We, however, call on our respected Labour Party candidate, His Excellency, Peter Obi to please stay in the country because his talents, ability and his contributions are needed in this country as a patriot, he doesn’t need to go on exile.

“We are also hearing that the PDP candidate, His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar will soon be on his way back to Dubai, whether he has gone or about to leave, we appeal to him to stay back because his valuable contributions are needed in this country. “We encourage all of them to stay back like President Muhammadu Buhari stayed back because this is the process of contributing to the development of our democracy and Nigeria.”

The group stressed that the country had been awakened to the emergence of political saboteurs reminiscent of June 12, 1993, roaming the nation in search of collaborators to truncate 24 years of uninterrupted democracy in the country.

It said these “saboteurs by their open and sinister moves have been bungled and busted by the vigilance and verity of the Department of State Security (DSS).”

The group, however, commended the security agencies for their professionalism and commitment to their democratic obligation by alerting, and distancing the establishment from any complicity and readiness to frustrate any mischievous effort to truncate the country’s democracy.

It pointed out that political jobbers parading the nation appealing for Interim national government because of their conspiracy theories and illusions on the outcome of the just concluded elections have attracted shame for themselves and their co- travellers due to the swift response of security agencies.

The group added that for taking a professional stand and democratic position in the face of an intending political catastrophe, protecting the constitution, and non-interference in the statutory roles of the electoral body, the military and intelligence community deserved global applause.

The group acknowledged the security agencies’ quest for more sophistication, better welfare, training, citizen support, and reinvigoration of the military architecture to serve the nation better.

It assured that the renewed hope mandate certainly assured every one of the determination of the incoming administration to invest in security as a sector.