Obi campaign team condemn Kano attack on Buhari

The campaign council of Labor Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has condemned Monday’s attack on the convoy of President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (Retd) in Kano.

In a statement signed by the campaign council’s head of media, Diran Onifade, the campaign team described the move as “barbaric and un-Nigerian” and condemned it in the strongest terms.

The statement read in part: “The president represents the sovereignty of the Nigerian nation, and Buhari in particular, given his age, is a father figure, an attack on whom our culture considers sacrilegious.

“It is imperative that the despicable actions such as those that took place in Kano, and other attacks on candidates and supporters elsewhere this election season, are curbed by condemnation from political leaders across the board.

“While as a political party we adhere strictly to our commitment to a thematic campaign, we note with regret the arrogant and belligerent rhetoric of some politicians who, in desperation, still regard this year’s election as do or die.

“It must be made clear that this intolerant and immoderate approach can inflame the polity while directly encouraging the kind of misconduct that took place in Kano.

“We strongly reiterate that politics is not war and that politicians should run the campaigns without interfering with the right of the people of Nigeria to freely choose their leaders.

“We sympathize with President Buhari and urge our law enforcement agencies to address this opportunity by appropriately investigating and bringing to justice these violent perpetrators and their instigators.

“Our future depends on a peaceful and stable state system, and we urge our supporters and the good people of Nigeria to remain steadfast and firm in expressing their electoral choice and participating in this process, but never lose their composure and discretion.”