The Abubakar Baraje led Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) has said
that the party has uncovered plots
by President Goodluck Jonathan to
arrest former President Olusegun
Obasanjo and his erstwhile deputy, Atiku Abubakar. Similarly, the party also said
members of the league of G7
governors and leaders of the
Baraje faction have also been
marked for arrest ad detention. Governors in the G7 are: Rotimi
Amaechi (Rivers); Musa
Kwankwaso (Kano); Murtala
Nyako (Adamawa); Aliyu
Wamakko (Sokoto); Babangida
Aliyu (Niger); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); and Abdulfatah Ahmed
(Kwara). In a statement yesterday by its
National Publicity Secretary,
Chukwuemeka Eze, the faction
said intelligence report in its
possession revealed that the
Presidency was already putting finishing touches to the plan. According the party, the
Presidency’s plot is code named
“Operation Total Crackdown on
G7 and their allies in the New
PDP”. “When we got details of the plot
to arrest and commit the
leadership of New PDP to prison
without charge we thought it
was a joke. “The reality, however, dawned on
us after we read the interview of
our friend and brother, Alhaji
Mujahid Asari-Dokubo, in the
PREMIUM TIMES of 26th September,
2013, confirming that President Goodluck Jonathan is under
pressure to arrest former
President Olusegun Obasanjo and
former Vice President Atiku
Abubakar without any further
delay. “The sin of these two
distinguished Nigerian statesmen,
according to those plotting their
“demystification”, is their alleged
support for the New PDP,
including the G7 Governors. That this evil plot is being conceived by
the Presidency confirms that the
Abacha days are truly here again
with us”, the statement added. The party said in view of the
development, the leadership of the
Baraje group had, in an
emergency meeting of its National
Working Committee, brainstormed
on how best to respond to the plot. “Our conclusion at the end of the
meeting was that we would not
be intimidated for any reason,
even if it means death, as we are
fighting a just cause of reclaiming,
recovering and establishing our party based on the vision of its
founding fathers as the party is
currently usurped by some
members who do not know how
it was formed. “Baraje, knowing how dirty some
of the hawks in the Presidency
can fight when pushed to the
wall, directed NWC members to
write their wills immediately after
the meeting as we have entered the stage of no retreat and no
surrender – fully determined to
reclaim what rightly belongs to
us”, the party said. Baraje urged the G7 Governors
not to be intimidated or
frightened by any tactics or
strategy employed by “state
forces” to coerce them to forgo
any of the issues they have been asked to present before President
Jonathan in the October
7 meeting. The party regretted that instead of
employing diplomacy to attend to
the issues that brought about the
present conflict, the Presidency
had chosen to apply force. Baraje said that rather than being
disturbed by the plot, his
members are ready for any tactics
that may be adopted by the
Presidency in the alleged
crackdown. “In this regard, we wish to urge
both the Presidency and those
detailed to attack us not to waste
time or wait till October 7 to start
arresting us, as there are
thousands of Nigerians ready to step into our shoes and fight this
cause to its conclusion. “We are convinced that at the
appropriate time; Asari Dokubo
will join us when he is convinced
as a social crusader, the injustice
we have been subjected to in PDP
all these years so we are not threatened by his outbursts”,
Baraje added. The party quoted a one time
President of the United States,
Theodore Roosevelt, to buttress its
determination to face the alleged
threat squarely. Roosevelt had stated in that
memorable speech: “Patriotism
means to stand by the country. It
does not mean to stand by the
president or any other public
official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the
country.”
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