Atiku anti-Yoruba, Igbo comment may violate Section 97 of the Electoral Act

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) bigotry statement he made last Thursday at the Arewa townhall policy dialogue held in Kaduna, may have breached Section 97 of the Electoral Act of Nigeria.

The section states, “A candidate, person or association that engages in campaigning or broadcasting based on religious, tribal or sectional reason to promote or oppose a particular political party or the election of a particular candidate, commits an offence under this Act and is liable on conviction to (a) a maximum fine of N1m or imprisonment for a term of 12 months or both and (b) in the case of a political party, to a maximum of N10m.’’

Addressing the Arewa conference he made a bigotry statement against Yoruba and Igbo presidential candidates.

 His words: “I have traversed the whole of this country. I know the whole of this country. I have built bridges across this country. I think what the average northerner needs is somebody who is from the north, and who also understands the other parts of Nigeria and who has been able to build bridges across the rest of the country.

“This is what the northerner needs. He (northerner) doesn’t need a Yoruba candidate, or an Igbo candidate. This is what the northerner needs.

“I stand before you as a pan-Nigerian of northern origin.”