Bola Tinubu, the President, is being urged to withdraw the national honor, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), from the previous Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.
Chairperson of the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Political Parties for Good Governance (PPGG), Dr. Lilian Ene Ogbole, made this announcement to journalists in Abuja this Thursday.
Ogbole stipulates that the prospective 2023 presidential contender from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should forfeit his national honor due to his unfounded accusation of certificate falsification against President Tinubu.
She asserts that Atiku has not adhered to the principles of true democracy and respect for the law, classifying his allegations as idle and void of evidence.
Ogbole suggests that the revocation of Atiku’s national honor would serve as a lesson to others, prompting Nigerians to respect the presidential office in future. She further claimed that national honors should be reserved for individuals of honor.
She proclaimed, “It is becoming increasingly evident that the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, is inversely aligned with the nation’s interest and has consistently disregarded the principles of democracy and the rule of law.
His defiant stance became even more transparent when he disclosed, during an exaggerated, unfounded, and meaningless press conference, how he seized control over Lagos State for Asiwaju while they illicitly gained power in other South-Western states by foul or fair means in the 2003 general election.
“This is clearly an affront to our communal sensitivity as a society committed to the principles of constitutional democracy.
“It is startling to fathom how a man with an extensive history of election manipulation, chronic disregard for authority and a serial election meddler would brazenly accuse a true democrat of traits he himself exhibits.
“It is an open secret that most of the disgraceful qualities that Atiku has falsely attributed to President Tinubu are in fact reflective of his own personality, a fact confirmed by his previous boss, Olusegun Obasanjo, who has on occasions criticized Atiku’s lack of patriotism and tact.
“As contributors to national development, we urge President Tinubu to exercise his constitutional authority to preserve the nation’s reputation and interests by stripping Atiku Abubakar of his GCON National Reward.
“We collectively concur that a person of Atiku’s behavior is not honourable and should not receive an award intended for honourable individuals.
“The stripping of Atiku’s national honor will also serve as a warning to others, urging Nigerians to accord due respect to the office of the President in the future.”
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