NATION

Lie, I’m not in London hospital for treatment – Atiku

Abubakar Atiku, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has denied a news report that he was ill and flown to London for medical treatment. Speaking through his media aide Paul Ibe, Atiku said he was rather in London on the invitation of the British Government.

Ibe gave a clarification about his principal’s whereabouts in his tweet on Sunday.

He said, “For the avoidance of doubt H.E @atiku, Presidential candidate of the @OfficialPDPNig and former VP of Nigeria, 1999-2007 will be arriving London on Monday, 9th of January for meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday on the invitation of the British Government.”

Atiku internationalised his campaign with his earlier visit to the United States last October. He travelled to the US amid speculation he was wanted by the American government for his role in the 2009 bribery case for which former US congressman Jefferson was convicted.

Atiku’s whereabouts in recent times has raised concerns and subject of a Twitter trend,# WhereisAtiku. However, the serial presidential contestant reacted to the latest kidnapping by unknow gunmen at the Igueben train station, Edo State on Saturday.

He said that the kidnapping “is the latest in a long condemnable line of security breaches previously unseen in our national history.” As a solution, Atiku says there is “urgent need to reform our security architecture” through creation of state and community policing, intelligence gathering and crime prevention than our current reactive approach.

“It is unacceptable for terrorists to plan attacks of this nature, mobilise arms and ammunition, secure funding and move large numbers of people across large spaces without detection by security agencies,” he said.

 

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