President Muhammadu Buhari has reacted to the ruling of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, dismissing the appeal by Atiku Abubakar and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
President Buhari in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja, thanked Nigerians for the mandate they gave to him to run the affairs of the country for another four years.
The statement read in part: “The Government – and people of Nigeria – have been aware that the result of the Feb. 23, the presidential election has been settled now for some eight months.
‘‘President Buhari was re-elected by an absolute majority of 55.6 per cent of the national vote, with Nigerians casting nearly four million more votes for President Buhari than his nearest challenger – representing a margin close to 15 per cent of the total vote.
“The former Vice President and his political party exercised their rights, under the Nigerian Constitution and electoral laws, to petition the courts and dispute this result.
‘‘They did so first at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal which ruled in September 2019 against them. Now – following his appeal to the Supreme Court and its ruling to dismiss their case for “lacking merit” – this matter is now closed.
“The President and Government of Nigeria do wish to extend our gratitude to former vice-president and his party for undertaking their campaign through protestations to the courts.
“In this regard, they have conducted themselves in line with the laws of the country they sought to lead.