Vice-President Atiku Abubakar was on Sunday injured while having an exercise in a gymnasium at his residence in Abuja.
Our correspondents gathered that the vice-president had gone to the gymnasium at about 12.10pm, after a breakfast stock-taking meeting with his campaign strategists.
It was learnt that midway into the exercise, Abubakar tripped on one of the machines he was using.
A source, who spoke in confidence with one of our correspondents, said, “The VP had dislocation on his knee and it became instantly difficult for him to walk.
“First Aid treatment was initially given to him but when the impact of the dislocation was much, his doctor was immediately invited to attend to him.
“By 4pm, the knee had swelled up and he could not manage himself again.
“He was advised to go abroad for treatment.
“He is likely to leave Abuja in the night (Sunday) for London, where a hospital has been contacted to attend to him.”
The source added that President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was briefed on the VP’s condition, approved that he should be flown abroad in a presidential jet.
“The Presidency decided that Abubakar should be flown to the London and he (Obasanjo) will take charge of everything on his health as the nation’s number two leader.
“The issue of the Vice-President’s health transcends any political intrigue. We are giving the vice-president his constitutional due.”
In a chat with one of our correspondents on the telephone at about 8pm, the vice-president confirmed that he was travelling abroad for treatment.
Abubakar said, ”I broke my knee tendon. I was doing my normal exercise in my gym. You know I told you I was going for an x-ray. The result came out and we realised that I had broken my knee tendon.
”I will need a 30-minute surgery but unfortunately they can‘t handle it here. It is a pity that they can‘t handle it here. So, I arranged for an aircraft to take me to London for the operation. I will leave later this night. But the President has been gracious enough to give me an aircraft. He has released my aircraft to me.
”So, Insha Allah, I will leave tonight and arrive London tomorrow (Monday) morning and immediately proceed to the hospital for the operation. I hope to be back on Tuesday or Wednesday to resume my campaign.”
Asked of the extent of the injury, he said, ”It is not a big deal. Do not let anybody deceive you that it is something serious.
“You saw me this afternoon and now you are speaking with me. You can see for yourself that there is nothing seriously wrong with me.
“I have asked the Director-General of our campaign organisation to join you so I will go and have my x-ray. Otherwise, it is no big deal, it is not another Umoru Yar‘ Adua’s case.
“The news of Yar‘Adua‘s illness shocked me. Whatever you may say about it, Yar‘Adua is my younger brother. I immediately wished him well and wished him safe recovery. We thank God he is back to resume his campaign.”
Speaking earlier with newsmen at his residence at about 1.20pm, Abubakar said, “I have done my best to show that citizens can get their rights through the law courts.
“If after all the decisions of the law courts, government decides to go against the rule of law or disobey court orders, it means we are heading for chaos because the basis of the President himself living in Aso Rock is the constitution and the rule of law.
“If there is no constitution and the rule of law, somebody could as well kick him out of there.
“If I am eventually stopped, the matter will be determined through the law court. I have not seen this kind of thing even in military regimes.”
He explained that he and some others made it possible for Obasanjo to be granted state pardon after he was released from jail in 1998, a gesture he said, made him (Obasanjo) eligible to contest for the presidential election in 1999.
Abubakar said, ”I was a living witness to the Gen. Abdulsalami transition programme. No politician was barred. In fact, the worst case was that of the President himself who came out of jail as an ex-convict.
“I know how the former National Security Adviser, Gen. Aliyu Gusau, and I made a case before the current Chief of Staff, Gen. Abdullahi Mohammed, through whom we got Gen. Abdulsalami to grant amnesty so that Obasanjo could run.
“If a military regime could go to that level to create a level-playing field, how much more of a so-called democratic government? And honestly, that is a matter of serious disappointment to me.
“If Abdulsalami, a head of state, could pardon an ex-convict, (Obasanjo), to run for an election, why should Obasanjo be-hell bent in stopping me from running for an election?”
According to him, the only consistent agenda of the Obasanjo government was how to stop him from the presidential race. He added that he was convinced that Nigerians would not allow this to happen.
He said, “You and I are aware that if there is one agenda this administration had been implementing in the last two years, it is how to stop Atiku Abubakar. I am not sure that it is pursuing any government policy as consistently as they are plotting to stop me.
“Not even the provision of electricity, rehabilitation of roads and provision of water. But it has so far been consistent and very determined in the bid to stop me from running.
“You know why all this is happening. It is because I led the struggle against constitutional amendment from the constitution conference up to the National Assembly.”
Abubakar, however, expressed optimism that he would be cleared by INEC to participate in the election.
“I look forward to the INEC list with optimism because I have not done anything wrong to be stopped from contesting,” he said.
Abubakar said he was confident of winning the election, ”if the polls are going to be held on a level-playing field.”
The vice-president, however, said he was “worried about the preparation and processes of elections rather than rigging allegation.”
On his alleged frosty relationship with the presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, he said, “As parties, we remain committed to free, fair and credible elections. We also remain committed to making sure that there is no rigging. We are working on a number of areas.”
Asked what his party would do about the disqualification of a former governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chris Ngige, and other candidates of the party, the vice-president responded, “It is already before the court. So, the court will determine that. There is nothing to worry about. I believe it is a straightforward case.
“There is no reason why they should not allow Ngige to contest.
“On the issue of documentation, he actually completed all the forms. Even though he was not in the country, his supporters took the forms to him. He filled and returned the forms and the party submitted them.
“We have acknowledgement letters to that effect and his name was displayed as one of the candidates for the election. We also have two others whose documents were said to be missing. They were in INEC three days ago to sort out this documentation problem.”
But in a letter to the President of the Senate, Chief Ken Nnamani, Abubakar also said that “blatant disregard” by the Presidency and the Independent National Electoral Commission for the decisions of the Judiciary was “dangerous for the future of the country.”
“The disregard for judicial decisions is a clear invitation to anarchy and the beginning of the end of the institutions which serve as the pillars of our young democracy,” he said in the undated letter.
The letter was obtained by our correspondents in Abuja on Sunday.
In the letter, the vice-president alleged that INEC was bent on denying him his fundamental right as a free citizen to offer himself for elective office.
The letter reads in part, “It is with utmost humility and a great sense of responsibility that I write to bring to your attention the grave danger posed to the ongoing transition programme by the growing culture of arbitrariness, reckless disregard for the rule of law and the gross abuse of our democratic institutions.
“It is now very clear to all discerning people in and outside Nigeria that President Olusegun Obasanjo and a clique within the ruling Peoples Democratic Party are determined to contrive a crisis that will necessitate the indefinite postponement of the April elections as well as the May 29 handover date.
“This is clearly evident in the gross abuse and unconscionable manipulation of public institutions, including INEC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the State Security Service, the police and the Federal Executive Council, to serve the selfish interests of a President who is hell-bent on perpetuating himself in office.”
Abubakar, who is the Action Congress presidential candidate, again claimed that his travails began when he took a principled stance against the bid by Obasanjo to extend his tenure.
He added, “As you well know, since I led the opposition against Obasanjo‘s plot to amend the constitution to allow him to run for an unprecedented third term of office, the President has sworn to frustrate my legitimate desire to contest the presidential election in April.
“He (Obasanjo) has used state institutions to harass, intimidate and humiliate me. He has erected several legal and political obstacles against me.
“As a democrat and a strong believer in the rule of law, I have confronted these vendetta-induced obstacles and challenges through our legal and political systems.
“Thus far, I have won almost all the court cases and won the hearts and minds of most Nigerians who have come to admire my patience, tenacity and the courage to stand up to evil.
“The latest legal victory came on March 7, 2007 when a Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice B. O. Kuewumi, ruled that INEC does not have the powers under the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2006 to disqualify a candidate from contesting an election.
“The court went on to state that ”the power to disqualify any candidate sponsored by any political party from contesting an election is vested in the courts as provided for in Section 32(5) of the Electoral Act 2006 and in any other legislation that is validly enacted in that behalf.”
He said INEC‘s decision to disregard the court ruling by planning to disqualify him was dangerous for democracy and a clear invitation to anarchy.
He described the alleged attempt by the Presidency to use INEC to scuttle the transition programme as unfortunate.
Abubakar pleaded with the President of the Senate to, “in the name of God” and love for our country to do something about these threats to democracy.
He said, “We must not allow any individual or institution scuttle our democracy because the nation is bigger than all of us.”
Abubakar also urged the National Assembly to check executive interference in the work of INEC.
The vice-president said that he had done nothing wrong to be disqualified and would not allow anyone to intimidate him out of the race.
Reacting to the vice-president‘s allegations, the Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Mallam Uba Sani, described Nigeria as a country governed by the rule of law.
He said in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, that “whatever the law says is what the government will do.
”If he is banned through the rule of law and he causes any trouble, he will be treated like any other person who wants to create trouble and cause anarchy in the country. The law is not a respecter of persons.
”In any case, the President is not stopping anybody from contesting the elections.”
The President‘s aide said that there were some constitutional provisions that INEC could exploit to stop people without necessarily having recourse to a court action.
He cited the issue of false declaration of age or other personal information submitted to INEC while filling in forms.
”And if a panel is constituted and a person is indicted, and that indictment is approved by the Federal Executive Council, the person cannot stand an election,” Sani added.
He also cited a person that is ”extremely corrupt” and had committed a constitutional offence as a good example of a person whom INEC could stop from contesting elections without having to go to court.
Also INEC’s Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Segun Adeogun, said the commission was trying to conduct a credible election.
He said, ”As far as we are concerned, INEC is doing its best to conduct a credible election.
”INEC is independent and nobody is interfering with what we are doing.”
