2011: Atiku alleges smear campaign, threatens legal action

By Ben Agande
ABUJA—Former Vice President and presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the forthcoming election, Atiku Abubakar, has alerted  that some faceless politicians who are afraid of his rising profile have resorted to smear campaigns against his person.

Consequently, he has warned that he may resort to legal action against them and their agents.

A statement by Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation , said the “carefully orchestrated and well-funded expansive programme to smear the image of the former Vice President and his family is being carried through newspapers (online and hard copies), text messages, e-mails, posters and pamphlets’ is the handiwork of political opponents, ‘who are mortally afraid of Atiku’s political ascendancy.”

Emphasizing that he would not be deterred in his commitment to an issue-based campaign that will focus on the concerns and welfare of Nigerians and the future of the country, the former vice president expressed regret that ‘ these politicians will not take on Atiku on the issues of governance and welfare of Nigerians, which he has made the hallmark of his campaign.

The statement added that formal complaints had been lodged with security agencies to identify the faceless sponsors of the campaigns and called on Nigerians to dismiss the campaigns.

Atiku Abubakar also warned that  he would not hesitate to drag any GSM company that made itself  available for use in the publication of libellous materials against him and his family to court.

“We challenge the sponsors of this campaign of calumny to show courage, put their faces and names to the claims and substantiate them.

“Anonymity and cowardice are not attributes of leadership. Those who lay claims to leadership should not be afraid to stake the basis of their claims in public,” the former vice president said.