Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Atiku Abubakar, have rejected the judgement of the presidential election petition tribunal.
The tribunal on Wednesday, struck out the various charges filed by Obi and the LP; and Atiku and the PDP challenging President Bola Tinubu’s victory in the February 25, 2023 poll.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday in Awka, Anambra state, Obi said he would not relent in the quest for justice and would appeal the judgement of the tribunal.
He said, “As petitioners in this case, we respect the views and rulings of the court, but we disagree with the court’s reasoning and conclusions in the judgment it delivered.
“It is my intention as a presidential candidate and the intention of the Labour Party to challenge this judgment by way of appeal immediately, as allowed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Our legal team has already received our firm instruction to file an appeal against the decision.
“I shall not relent in the quest for justice, not necessarily for myself but indeed for our teeming supporters all over the country and beyond whose mandate to us at the polls was regrettably truncated by INEC.”
He called on Nigerians to remain focused, steadfast, and peaceful.
Obi called on his supporters to abide by the rule of law stressing that the matter has not reached its logical conclusion.
The former Anambra governor said electoral litigations will be non-existent in the country if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) discharges its statutory functions creditably, transparently and with discernible fairness.
On his own, Abubakar, a former vice-president, at a press conference held on Thursday in Abuja said he challenged Tinubu’s victory at the presidential election tribunal because he believes the court is the “sanctuary of justice”,
Abubakar said the verdict given by the court “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”, Abubakar said.
He added that though he respects the judgement of the court, he does not accept it.
“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”, he said.
Abubakar said he is no stranger to legal battles and has asked his lawyers to file an appeal at the supreme court.
“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,” he said.
Speaking further, he said, “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 future generations to evaluate.”
The PDP candidate asked his supporters to remain steadfast, saying he would win the war of restoring confidence in our electoral system.
“On this note, I urge all my 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.”
