*APC: Atiku’s rejection of verdict not unexpected, he’s a serial election contestant, loser
*Verdict bereft of substantial justice, electoral process should be devoid of untidy manipulations, says Atiku
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar have expressed divergent views over the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) l which upheld the election of President Bola Tinubu.
The Director of Publicity for the APC, Bala Ibrahim and Atiku spoke in Abuja over the matter on Thursday.
It is instructive to note that Justice Haruna Tsammani -led five-man panel dismissed the petitions of Atiku, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi and that of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) Obi in the 12-hour judgment delivered on Wednesday for lack of merit.
The Director of Publicity for the APC, Bala Ibrahim, has faulted the stance of Atiku on the tribunal’s judgment.
Stating that he had no problem with the Adamawa State-born politician heading to the Supreme Court to challenge the verdict, Ibrahim labelled him as a bad sportsman.
He said, “It takes a thief to detect a thief. He, who is in the business of manipulating things, will certainly be the first to complain if things are manipulated. I believe INEC has experts and ICT specialists who will surely check the thoroughness and foolproof nature of their equipment.
“It is not for Atiku, as an interested party, to tell INEC whether or not the equipment are technically perfect or fit for the operation they are deployed on. INEC is an independent organization that has the right to decide the type of technology and how it should be deployed. Atiku can’t stay at the sideline and dictate that a vehicle is not roadworthy when he is not a vehicle inspection officer.’’
Ibrahim also accused Atiku of having ‘a compromised mind.’
He said, “As an interested party, I think he probably has a compromised mind or intention that INEC countered that is making him uncomfortable. That probably explains why he is complaining. In all the curriculum vitae of Atiku that I have gone through, everybody will attest to the fact that he has always been a politician through and through.
‘’He is a serial election contestant and a loser. There is nowhere in the CV that he is an ICT expert. So, I really don’t know where the word ‘compromise’ that he used for the BVAS technology is coming from.”
The APC image-maker also knocked Atiku’s use of the word ‘electoral banditry’ to describe the outcome of the tribunal, arguing that such tantrums should not be coming from a statesman like him.
Ibrahim disclosed that the PDP candidate should not be seen downplaying the integrity of the tribunal in the vain hope that it would make the apex court to award him a favourable judgment.
“His rejection of the verdict is not unexpected. What is unexpected is the kind of tantrums that came out of Atiku Abubakar. When you insert words like ‘electoral banditry’ and at the same time say you still have confidence in the judiciary, you are contradicting yourself.
‘’This is because by the verdict of yesterday (Wednesday), the court has affirmed what INEC has done, which is a vote of confidence on the electoral institution by the judiciary.
“But because you want to lure the Supreme Court justices, you are saying that you condemned what the lower court has done but you are still hopeful and confident in the apex court where you are heading; that is contradictory.”
Continuing, Ibrahim stated, “Much as you want to bribe the justices morally and indirectly with sweet words, you cannot disconnect what you have said about the lower court. It is either you have confidence in the judiciary in total or you lack confidence in total. You cannot have confidence in one segment of the judiciary and lack confidence in another.
“By that statement, Atiku may soon use the word ‘legal terrorism’ by the time the outcome of the Supreme Court counts against him. And it is not unexpected. That is not the kind of statement that should come from a statesman in the status of Atiku Abubakar.”
But speaking on the development during a press conference at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja, Atiku said his belief that the PEPC’s judgment left a lot to be desired and convinced him to direct his legal team to approach the Supreme Court for redress.
He said, “I take great pains to tell you that the decision of the court of first instance on this matter utterly falls far short of 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.
He further noted, “I have asked my lawyers to activate my constitutionally guaranteed rights of appeal to the higher court, which, in this 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.”
According to Atiku, much of his political successes are a function of the boldness exhibited by the Nigerian judiciary.
He added, “My decision to go to court is anchored in my 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.’’
Atiku also blamed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for poor management of the last general elections which he said the judiciary had a duty to redress.
He said, “The last presidential election in our country and the way it was managed by the electoral umpire, INEC leaves behind unenviable precedents, which I believe 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 judgment of the court as rendered by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal yesterday (Wednesday), 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.”
Speaking earlier, the Acting National Chairman of the party, Umar Damagum, said the PEPC’s judgment “Left lovers of democracy in and outside the country, more confused with a lot of questions on whether the Nigerian Constitution, electoral act and other laws guiding the conduct of credible election in our country are still functional.’’
He pointed out that close observation of the faces of Nigerians across the country showed hopelessness and despair since the pronouncement of the judgment.
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