The Nigerian presidency has accused Atiku Abubakar of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of drawing on “negative developments” to whip up sentiments to influence the outcome of his petition against the outcome of the 2019 presidential election. 

The presidency made the accusation following Mr Abubakar’s statements on developments such as the report that the Nigeria military secretly buried about 1,000 soldiers killed by Boko Haram in the Northeast.

A presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, in a statement on Friday, chided Mr Abubakar a day after Mr Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC) accused the PDP’s candidate in the 2019 presidential poll of projecting himself as a “shadow president”.

Mr. Abubakar and his party, PDP are currently at the election petition tribunal seeking to invalidate the election of President Buhari. 

Mr. Adesina said Mr. Atiku’s actions were to appeal to Nigerians’ emotions, and particularly the judicial members’, to see the ongoing case ends in his favour.