Farther than subside, the controversy
over whether former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, standard-bearer of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 23 presidential poll is a
Nigerian by birth, is still raging.
A man, who claims to be a close
friend of Garba Abubakar, Atiku’s late father, alleged that neither of his
parents was a Nigerian.
The unnamed family friend, in
fresh documents filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) before the
Presidential Election Petition Tribunal
in Abuja, also gave details of Atiku’s early years and how his father died.
But, Atiku declined to comment
last night, saying he had earlier responded to the issue.
The deponent’s claim varies from
that of Atiku, who insists that his parents were Nigerians.
It all started when the APC, in
its response to Atiku’s petition at the tribunal, argued that he was not a
Nigerian by birth.
Claiming that it possessed
evidence to support its claim, the party alleged that because Atiku is not a
Nigerian by birth, he was not qualified, under Section 131(a) of the
Constitution to contest for the office of President.
Responding, Atiku said he was a
Nigerian by birth because his parents were Nigerians.
“The parents of the 1st
petitioner (Atiku) are both Fulani, a community/tribe indigenous to Nigeria.
“The 1st petitioner was born on
25th November, 1946 in Jada, Adamawa State by Nigerian parents and he is
therefore a citizen of Nigeria by birth.
“The 1st petitioner’s mother,
Aisha Kande was the grand-daughter of Inuwa Dutse who came to Jada as an
itinerant trader too from Dutse in present day Jigawa State.
“The 1st petitioner’s father,
Garba Atiku Abubakar was a Nigerian by birth who hailed from Wumo in present
day Sokoto State while the mother, Aisha Kande was also a Nigerian who hailed
from Dutse in present day Jigawa State.
But, in a statement filed by an
APC witness, simply identified with the initials – ADM – the party repudiate
Atiku’s claim.
The witness said: “l, ADM, adult,
Nigerian citizen of Adamawa State do hereby make oath and say as follows:
“That I was a close family friend
to the 1st petitioner’s late father. I know the family and I am familiar with
the 1st petitioner’s background: who was born on the 25th day of November, 1946
to a Fulani trader and farmer by name Garba Abubakar, from his second wife,
Aisha Kande, in Jada village of Northern Cameroon.
“I know the 1st petitioner was
named after his paternal grandfather, Atiku Abdulkadir and became the only
child of his parents after his only sister died at infancy.
“I also know about the unfortunate
incidence of the death of the 1st petitioner’s father in 1957, who drowned
while crossing a river to Toungo. a neighbouring village to Jada in Northern
Cameroon.
“I do know that the 1st
petitioner has, in all his documentations that are made public in national
dailies or official gazettes, stated that he hails from Jada town in Adamawa
State, from Ganye Local Government Area, regarded as the mother of the whole
Chamba ethnic group (Chamba tribe).
“I know as a fact that, as at the
time the 1st petitioner was born on the 25th day of November, 1946 to a FulanI
trader and farmer, Garba Abubakar, Jada village and other parts of Chamba land
in the then Northern Cameroon, were still part of the British Cameroons and not
Nigeria.
“None of the 1st petitioner’s
parents or grandparents was born in Nigeria.
“The 1st petitioner‘s father died
as a citizen of Northern Cameroon in 1957 prior to the referendum of 1st June,
1961 which made Northern Cameroon to become part of Nigeria.
“The 1st petitioner’s ancestral
origin is deeply rooted in the then Northern Cameroon, not Nigeria and I know
as a fact that the 1st petitioner is not a Nigerian citizen by birth
“I know that Ganye which
incorporates the 1st petitioner’s birth place of Jada, was the headquarters of British
Cameroons, but it joined Nigeria after the plebiscite.
“I know that Ganye was not part
of Nigeria as at the time of the birth of the 1st petitioner; on 25th November
1946.
“I am familiar with the
historical antecedents of the birth place of the 1st petitioner.
“Ganye area had been entrusted to
Britain by a League of Nations Mandate in 1919 and later as Trust Territory by
the United Nations in 1946.
“With the defeat of Germany in
World War I. Kamerun (as it was known at the time) became a League of Nations
Mandate Territory and was split into French Cameroons and British Cameroons in
1919
“While France integrated the
economy of its part of the Cameroons with that of the mother colonial France,
the British on the other hand, administered its part (British Cameroons) from
neighbouring Nigeria, making Jada, the 1st petitioner’s place of birth, a
British franchise.
“I know that a plebiscite was
held in British Cameroons to determine whether the people in that territory
preferred to stay in Cameroon or unite with Nigeria.
“While Northern Cameroon
preferred a union with Nigeria, the Southern Cameroon chose to align with the
mother country.
“I know that on the 1st of June
1961, Northern Cameroon became a part of Nigeria and on the 1st of October 1961
the Southern Cameroonian territory dissolved and merged into the Republic of
Cameroon.”
An aide to Atiku told The Nation
last night that his principal would not respond to the issue.
According to the aide, the PDP
president candidate had responded to the controversies stirred by the APC on
his nationality.
Faulting the APC claim that he is
not a Nigerian by birth and, therefore, not fit to be President, the former
vice president, said he is a Nigerian by birth and was born on November 25,
1946 in Jada, Adamawa State by Nigerian parents.
He made the assertion in a joint
reply he filed with his party to the APC’s response against their petition
before the tribunal.
Atiku, who gave details of his
early life, also spoke about his working life and political career to support
his claim that he is a Nigerian by birth.
Atiku and the PDP argued that it
was late in the day for the APC to query his qualification for the election,
having not done so at the pre-election stage.
Why speak up now? Did someone threaten you or you are no longer getting paid?
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