He noted that it is designed to intimidate members of the opposition ahead of the 2019 general election.

In a statement by his presidential campaign organization, Atiku added that the order, which smacks of the Decree Number Two of 1984 that criminalised truth, will result in capital flights from the country and recession.

Atiku lampooned the Buhari administration for including late former Chief Judge of Enugu State, Justice Innocent Umezulike, as number 30 on its travel ban list, noting that an administration that cannot distinguish between the living and the dead cannot revive the economy.

 He said, “We must be unequivocal in saying that we abhor any act of criminality, financially or otherwise, but the rule of law must be our guide at all times or society will descend to anarchy. Thus, we find it most undemocratic that in a nation governed by the rule of law, a President who swore an oath to abide by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria does this.

“If the past events are to be the judge, these 50 individuals will conveniently be critics and opponents of the Buhari administration. This is nothing short of intimidation ahead of the 2019 elections. This is what the Buhari administration did in Osun where they froze the accounts of the Adeleke family and then illegally and clandestinely paid N16.7 billion to the Osun state government to facilitate daylight electoral robbery.

“To show how clueless this administration is, it included late former Chief Judge of Enugu State, Justice Innocent Umezulike as number 30 on its travel ban list, The question Nigerians should ask is this: can an administration that is unable to distinguish between the living and the dead bring life to Nigeria’s economy?”

The campaign organisation added that the Nigerian Constitution guarantees every Nigerian citizen freedom of movement and freedom of association, stressing that it cannot be taken away except by a court order.

“If the Buhari administration wants to curtail the rights of Nigerians, then they must go to court and obtain a court order. Anything short of this is unconstitutional and extrajudicial”, it added.