TRIBUNAL JUDGEMENT: APC CRITICIZES OBI AND ATIKU, CONFRONTING INEC

Jacinta Enoch

September 08, 2023

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The All Progressives Congress on Thursday criticized the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labor Party, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, for contradicting the ruling of the Election Petitions Tribunal which supported the election of President Bola Tinubu in the electoral process.

This comes as Atiku and Obi attacked the Independent National Electoral Commission over its conduct of the election.

The five-member tribunal quashed Atiku and Obi's motions in a 12-hour ruling delivered on Wednesday.

However, speaking on the developments at a press conference at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja, Atiku said his belief that the PEPC judgment left much to be desired convinced him to order the legal team to His lawyers approached the Supreme Court for relief.

“I regret to tell you that the trial court's decision on this matter was not what we expected,” he said. So I'm here to tell you that, even if yesterday's court ruling is upheld, it's still a judgment I refuse to accept.

“I refuse to accept the verdict because I believe it lacks substantive justice. However, disappointment in the court's decision could never destroy my faith in the judiciary.

He added: “I have instructed my lawyers to activate my constitutionally guaranteed rights of appeal to a higher court, in this case the Supreme Court. I firmly believe that the electoral process in Nigeria must not be indiscriminately manipulated and that the outcome of every election should perfectly reflect the wishes of the electorate.

“I believe this is the only way our democracy can clearly express what it really means. Whether I prevail in this task or not, the track record of my efforts to ensure a credible electoral order in Nigeria will be valued by future generations.

According to Atiku, much of his political success is due to the boldness of the Nigerian judicial system.

He added: “My decision to go to court is rooted in my belief that the court is a sanctuary of justice. My political career path, as you know, depends largely on the courage and courageous decisions of our justice system.

“Indeed, I am no stranger to legal battles and can safely say that I understand very well how the justice system works. Throughout my political career, I have been a fighter and must say that I have always viewed the justice system as a reliable pillar on which to rely in the pursuit of justice.

The former vice president criticized the Independent National Election Commission for its mishandling of the last general election, which he says the judiciary has a duty to rectify. He explained, “The last presidential election in our country and the way the electoral arbitrator handled it, INEC has left indisputable precedents that I believe the courts have a duty to fix.

“Our progress in transparent elections through the implementation of technology has been severely compromised by INEC in the way it handled the last presidential election, and I am concerned that The verdict, the court ruling handed down by the Court of Appeals to yesterday's presidential election (Wednesday), failed to restore faith in the dream of free and fair elections, free from human manipulation.