Atiku’s town was never under Cameroon, says PDP witness

Mohammed Kabir, a witness of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says Jada, birth place of Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was never under the control of Cameroon.

Kabir said this on Tuesday while being cross-examined by Mike Igbokwe, a counsel to President Muhammadu Buhari, at the presidential election petition tribunal in Abuja.

When asked if he knew that some parts of Adamawa were once under Cameroon, he responded saying: “I’m aware” but insisted that Jada was not part of those areas.

Makabyel Samarji, another witness, under cross-examination said he is sure that Atiku was born in Adamawa.

When asked on what authority he is relying on he said: “[Atiku’s school] records.”

The witness, a former ambassador to Romania, said the records are public and he got them from its “custodian.”

The ex-ambassdor said he is not aware that parts of Adamawa was part of Cameroon before 1946.

“I was not born that time, I will have consult history,” he said.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) had said the former vice-president is unfit to contest the election because he is not a Nigerian by birth.

The ruling party argued that the former vice-president is a citizen of Cameroon because his birth place was in the northern part of the African country at the time he was born.

While accusing the PDP of fielding a non-citizen to contest the presidential poll, APC said section 131(a) of the constitution provides  that a person must be a citizen of Nigeria by birth to be qualified to contest as president of the country.

The claim of the ruling party is contained in its response to PDP’s petition challenging the election of Buhari.

Atiku was born on November 25, 1946.