Buhari , Ribadu shun Jonathan's inauguration

Former military head of state and presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change in the April elections, Gen.
Muhammadu Buhari, said he would not attend the inauguration of President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday.

Buhari said his presence at the ceremony would amount to conferring legitimacy on an illegitimate enterprise.

Buhari is among the presidential candidates defeated by Jonathan in the last April 16 presidential poll. Jonathan, the Peoples Democratic Party standard-bearer, polled over 22.5 million votes, while Buhari came a distant second, securing 12.2million votes.

Others who lost out in the race are the Action Congress of Nigeria standard-bearer, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and his All Nigeria Peoples Party counterpart, Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau.

Jonathan’s victory at the poll had resulted in widespread violence in some states in the north, as aggrieved party faithful protested the outcome of the exercise conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

At least, 10 National Youth Service Corps members who acted as presiding officers for INEC during the poll were killed in the orgy of violence.

Houses and places of worship were also burnt in Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Bauchi, and Gombe states, while the homes of particularly traditional rulers and community leaders allegedly sympathetic to the PDP were looted and razed by angry youths.

Buhari and his party, the CPC, had rejected some of the presidential results, alleging that they were fabricated to favour the PDP, even when local and international observers affirmed that the election was credible.

The CPC standard-bearer had specifically alleged that there were nocturnal movements of aircraft moving thumb-printed ballot papers around the country during the presidential poll.

However, speaking on the inauguration, Buhari said his presence at the ceremony would amount to an anti-party activity, especially as the CPC was already in the tribunal to challenge Jonathan’s victory in the election.

Buhari, who spoke through the spokesman for his campaign organisation, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, insisted that he would not attend the event despite the invitation extended to him by the Federal Government.

“The essence of the invitation is to blackmail him, but he would not sacrifice his integrity. He is a principled politician, not a politician of fortune. He is a man of integrity who does not want anything from anybody,” Odumakin said.

He said the presence of the CPC presidential candidate at the inauguration would mean he is walking both sides.

Odumakin said Buhari’s decision not to attend the ceremony would not affect his status as a respected statesman.

He said, “Does it mean a statesman should encourage what is not right? He should not abandon principles for expediency. A statesman should walk his talk. He would not confer legitimacy on illegitimacy. Given the scenario, it would take a statesman who wants to sell something to go for such an event.”

Although Ribadu is away in Afghanistan on a United Nations assignment, his spokesman, Alfa Modibo, said he would not attend the inauguration.

Ribadu had in a message to Nigerians said the focus after the elections should be on the goals of a better society, and not the loss at the poll.

He said the dimension of governance in the country had remained negative with “the picture in every sector remaining one of shock, shame and stoppage.”

However, Modibo told our correspondent on Friday that the ACN did not believe Jonathan won the election.

“Even if he were in the country, I don’t think he would have attended, because that would be saying Jonathan won the election. We don’t think he won the election,” Modibo said.

Modibo said Ribadu must have been invited like many other prominent Nigerian leaders.

Meanwhile, it was not clear if the former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, would attend the inauguration.

Atiku, who had emerged the consensus candidate of the Mallam Adamu Ciroma-led Northern Political Elders Forum, had contested and lost the PDP presidential primary to Jonathan.

His media aides confirmed that Atiku had indeed been invited to the ceremonies, but needed more time to confirm if he would be at the Eagle Square, venue of the event.

Atiku had congratulated Jonathan on his victory at the election.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, had said that all the presidential candidates and leaders of the political parties had been invited to the inauguration ceremonies.

Ahmed, who is the chairman of the 2011 presidential inauguration ceremonies, said all the 60 political parties had been invited to the inauguration.

“It’s by right not by discretion. Everybody is going to be invited, all the 60 political parties, we are going to take care of them,” he said.

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