The presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has faulted the verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) which affirmed the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the February 25 election.
On Wednesday, a five-man panel of justices led by Justice Haruna Tsammani said the petitions filed by Atiku of PDP, Allied Peoples Movement (APM), and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) challenging Tinubu’s victory were “all devoid of merit” and dismissed them.
In a preliminary reaction by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the PDP rejected the verdict, which it said it was still reviewing.
In a World Press Conference he addressed in Abuja on Thursday, Atiku said he respected the tribunal’s judgement but noted that it failed to “restore confidence in our dreams of free and fair elections devoid of human manipulations”.
He vowed to appeal to the Supreme Court.
Atiku said his decision to go to court following the declaration of Tinubu as president was anchored on his belief that the court is the sanctuary of justice.
“The journey of my political career, as you know, holds so much to the courage and fearless decisions of our judiciary.
“Indeed, I am no stranger to legal battles, and I can say that I have a fair idea of how the court system works. All through my career as a politician, I have been a fighter, and I must say that I have found the judiciary as a worthy pillar to rest on in the pursuit of justice,” the PDP candidate said.
He said the way the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) managed the last presidential election leaves behind unenviable precedents, which in his belief the courts have a duty to redress.
“Our gains in ensuring transparent elections through the deployment of technology was heavily compromised by INEC in the way it managed the last presidential election, and I am afraid that the judgement of the court as rendered by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal yesterday, failed to restore confidence in our dreams of free and fair elections devoid of human manipulations.
“Like I did say at the beginning of this legal battle when I instructed my lawyers to file my petition challenging the outcome of the presidential election, my ultimate goal in this pursuit is to ensure that democracy is further strengthened through the principles and processes of fair hearing.
“Gentlemen of the press, I take great pains to tell you that the decision of the court of first instance on this matter utterly falls far short of that expectation. I am therefore here to tell you that, though the judgment of the court yesterday is respected, it is a judgment that I refuse to accept. I refuse to accept the judgment because I believe that it is bereft of substantial justice. However, the disappointment in the verdict of the court can never destroy my confidence in the judiciary.
“Consequently, I have asked my lawyers to activate my constitutionally guaranteed rights of appeal to the higher court, which, in the instance, is the Supreme Court. It is my conviction that the electoral process in Nigeria should be devoid of untidy manipulations and that the outcome of every election should be a perfect reflection of the wishes of the electorate. I believe that such is the only way through which our democracy can have a manifest expression of its true meaning. Whether I prevail in this quest or not, the record of my effort in ensuring an order of credible elections in Nigeria shall remain for the future generations to evaluate,” Atiku said.
The PDP candidate urged his supporters to remain steadfast.
“I urge them to take solace in an immortal lesson I learned from my leader and mentor, the late Shehu Yar’Adua, that losing a battle is less important than losing the war.
“We might have lost a battle yesterday, but the war is well ahead of us. And I believe that with our hopes in God, we shall win the war of restoring confidence in our electoral system,” Atiku said.