Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar has expressed regret over an error arising from his telephone chat with the family of a fallen soldier, Lt. Col. Ibrahim Sakaba. He had initially thought the family member he spoke with was the widow.
In fact, Atiku had in his 2018 Christmas message said, “I had cause to telephone Lt. Col. Ibrahim Sakaba’s widow this Yuletide season and I was touched by the devotion and love she had for her husband who paid the supreme sacrifice for Nigeria.”
It turned out the lady he spoke with was not the fallen soldier’s widow. This has compelled Atiku to clarify the circumstances under which the error occurred.
Explaining what happened Paul Ibe, media adviser to Atiku said in a statement Monday that, “Following the death of Lt. Col Ibrahim Sakaba during the Boko Haram insurgents’ attack on 157 Taskforce Battalion in Metele, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar’s staff has made efforts to get the contact of his widow to enable the former Vice President express his condolences over the loss of the fallen hero.
“Over the weekend, Atiku Abubakar was availed with phone numbers of Mrs. Sakaba and Maryam, younger sister of the late soldier, in the alternative.
“On Sunday, the former Vice President tried albeit unsuccessfully to contact Mrs. Sakaba but was able to eventually speak with Maryam, younger sister of the gallant soldier during which he expressed his deepest condolences to the family.
“However, this communication was erroneously communicated. The error is regretted.
However, the statement said Atiku “reaffirms his deepest condolences to the Sakaba family, which sacrifices, like those of their brave son, keeps us safe.”