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Atiku claims Buhari plotting to rig election by postponing polls in 3 northern states

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Northern, southern leaders endorse Atiku Abubakar

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has revealed alleged plots by President Muhammadu Buhari to rig the Saturday presidential election by postponement of polls in three northern states.

He said the plot is to ensure that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) shifts elections in Borno, Adamawa and Kaduna states based on security issues.

According to Atiku, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will then on a slated date for elections in those three states, use security agents to massively rig polls in favour of Buhari.

Atiku, who stated this in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, on Tuesday, claimed that the plot was part of the discussion Buhari had with governors of the three northern states during a closed-door meeting with them in Abuja on Tuesday.

The statement read, “The deal, cut at a meeting with some northern governors and service chiefs in the presidential villa in Abuja is simple: The FG will shift election in the northern states of Borno, Adamawa and Kaduna citing security concerns to provide the APC the opportunity use security agents to massively rig polls in those states at a later date.

”The implication of the plot is that President Buhari, for all his sweet words on ensuring free and fair elections and avoiding unethical measures to win at all costs, is ready to do anything just to ”capture” Borno, Adamawa, Kaduna and other states using security reasons as a pretext.”

Warning that anything short of a simultaneous holding of the rescheduled presidential and National Assembly elections across the country on Saturday is not acceptable, Atiku said “the PDP would not lose any sleep over the ignoble deal since the battle to rescue Nigeria from incompetence and bad leadership will be fought by the people themselves and not by some desperate APC governors or President Buhari.”

Borno State has continued to suffer attacks by Boko Haram insurgents, while citizens of Zamfara remain scared of activities of bandits in the state.

READ ALSO: #SnatchAndDie: Going by Buhari’s ‘order’, APC planning to disrupt election in Rivers, PDP alleges

Kaduna State governor on Tuesday claimed that an attack last week in the state claimed the lives of over 130 people.

However, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has accused him of lying, insisting that 11 persons died in the last week attack and that peace has returned in the affected communities.

According to the Christian body, El-Rufai is allegedly exaggerating the number of casualties to create an impression that there is crisis in Kaduna so that INEC will postpone the presidential election in the state for supposedly clandestine reasons.

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