Atiku finally Address viral audio of him alleging plot to rig election

Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, responds to an audio note attributed to him about a plot to rig the upcoming election.

The audio clip purportedly shows Atiku, his running mate Ifeanyi Okowa, and Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal discussing plans to disrupt the upcoming election.

However, in a statement issued on Friday by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Mr. Phrank Shaibu, Atiku dismissed the allegations as “utter nonsense.”

He also stated that the audio demonstrated the ruling party’s intention to increase propaganda in the hours before the elections.

The statement reads in part;

“We warned last week that as the election approaches there will be a spike in the rate of propaganda on social media. With barely 24 hours to the poll, we have witnessed propaganda from not just the All Progressives Congress but the Labour Party as well.

“In this latest drive, a montage of speeches delivered by Atiku, Tambuwal, and Okowa since last year were manipulated and pieced together to give an impression that they were discussing plans to rig Saturday’s election. In this age of artificial intelligence technology, even dead people can be portrayed as delivering speeches. This is nothing new!

“For the record, Atiku has run in two presidential elections and has never been indicted or prosecuted for election violence or vote buying.

“But some people think they can sell a narrative of Atiku manipulating this election. This is indeed the height of desperation, the last kick of a dying horse. The APC and the Labour Party must note that elections are not won on social media but at the polling units.”

Justifying why Nigerians should disregard the audio conversation, Atiku added, “It is unfortunate that those seeking power will engage in outdated defeatist tactics. How can Tambuwal be referring 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 addressed his supporters

He urged PDP supporters across the country to refrain from engaging in similar propaganda and instead support the party’s efforts to save the nation and its people, beginning with the presidential election scheduled for Saturday.

“When they descend to the level of baseless propaganda, we will rise above it with dignity and respond with our Permanent Voter Cards. This election is a watershed in Nigerian history. Nigerians must not lose sight of what is most important, which is the need to rebuild this broken system, revitalize the economy, and improve security and the hope of the people in a united Nigeria,” he added