Atiku declares audio of chat with Okowa, Tambuwal fake, blames APC, LP

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar has described an audio wherein he purportedly revealed plans by himself, Sokoto Governor Aminu Tambuwal and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to rig Saturday’s election as fake.

In a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the clip in circulation was a confirmation of last week’s alert of plans by opponents to deepen its propaganda.

“In this age of artificial intelligence technology, even dead people can be portrayed as delivering speeches. This is nothing new,” Shaibu noted.

The aide recalled Atiku contested two presidential elections and has never been indicted or prosecuted for election violence or vote buying.

Shaibu said the narrative of Atiku manipulating the polls election “is indeed the height of desperation, the last kick of a dying horse”.

The statement told the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Labour Party, LP, that “elections are not won on social media but at the polling units”.

Shaibu wondered why a Campaign Director-General, Tambuwal would refer to Atiku by his full name in a one-on-one private conversation.

“This is nonsensical, similar to the type of meaningless chatter about President Muhammadu Buhari being dead and replaced by one Jubril from Sudan.”

Atiku, however, advised his supporters not to engage in the propaganda war “which had become the style of both the APC and the LP”.

Noting that the presidential election is a watershed in Nigerian history, the flagbearer appealed to the people not to lose sight of what is most important.

The PDP candidate called on the police and other security agencies as well as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to remain fair and neutral during the polls.

Atiku also charged them to go after those behind the audio in line with Section 123(c) of the Electoral Act which stipulates fines and imprisonment for anyone who makes false claims/publications against a candidate