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Atiku Is Not A Criminal, Group Protests Against Professor Itse Sagay’s Claim

Atiku Abubakar

The All-Atiku Support Groups (AASG), has vehemently protested against claim by the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Professor Itse Sagay that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is a criminal simply because the American government denied him visa to visit that country.

“It is indeed sad and in bad taste that Itse Sagay, a learned Professor of Law for that matter, and someone who by his calling, training and experience is expected to know better and sufficiently informed is the one who made such mischievous statement alluding to, and implying the idea that refusal to grant a request for an entry visa by the United States of America which was based on “Administrative” procedure, is a prerequisite and precondition for qualification to becoming the President of a sovereign nation like Nigeria.”
In a statement today, Tuesday, the group insisted that it is the prerogative of the United States of America or any other country, their embassies, diplomatic missions and consulates to grant entry visa to whomever it pleases, adding that denying anybody does not qualify such person to be termed a criminal.

“Several Nigerians have been denied in the past, and many more will still be denied, but Nigerian citizens so denied are not criminals. Waziri Atiku Abubakar is no exception.
“The United States of America has never at any time accused nor alluded to any legal or criminal infraction against Waziri Atiku Abubakar and one would have thought it answers to intelligence, common sense and the calling of Professor Sagay to speak to facts of law in this regard and not corner street discussions, beer parlour gossips, rumours and hearsays.
“Atiku Abubakar has been out of government since 2007; and that is about eleven years ago; as a businessman and a successful one at that, he has travelled to several countries all over the world including the United Kingdom, and many of these countries signed extradition pact with the United States of America, and he has not been declared wanted in any.
“We observed that Professor Sagay has been so eager to retain his job with the present administration and nothing would be considered too odious for him to please his employer and paymaster even if such puts his integrity at stake and push him to the lowest level of esteem. It beats every imagination that Professor Sagay has constantly overreached his core mandate in advisory capacity to Mr. President and has become another vocal tool in the propaganda machine of the APC.
“However, we at All-Atiku Support Groups and indeed all men and women of goodwill have a different view about how political battles should be fought and won. We are of the view that our democracy, having gone through the crucibles of trials and errors should have matured to a level where issues, policies and programmes are the plank upon which public discourse should rest. We think persons in his status should be above petty and mischievous hearsays and beer-parlour gossips, a new vocation that Professor Sagay has suddenly graduated himself into. “