Obi, Atiku to challenge Tinubu’s victory at the Supreme Court
The presidential candidates of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and the Labour Party, Peter Obi, vowed to approach the Supreme Court to seek justice following the verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
At separate press conferences on Thursday, the two candidates expressed their dissatisfaction with the decision of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, and their intention to pursue justice at the Supreme Court.
Obi, in Onitsha, Anambra State, said he disagreed with the court’s “reasoning and conclusions” in the judgment it delivered on Wednesday.
The former Anambra State governor also said that his legal team had already been instructed to file an appeal against the decision.
Obi said, “Yesterday, 6 September 2023, the Presidential Election Petition Court finally delivered its long-awaited judgments on the Petitions challenging the outcome of the presidential election held on 25 February 2023. This judgment was delivered within the statutory time frame under the extant statutes. We acknowledge the Court’s contributions to due process and the seeming attempt to strengthen our democracy.
“The PEPC has rendered its judgment, but that esteemed body is not the final arbiter. The responsibility now falls on the Supreme Court. I do know that judgment is not coterminous with justice. I implore Nigerians to remain focused, steadfast, and peaceful; abide by the rule of law, and understand that this matter has not reached its logical conclusion,” he added.
According to Obi, “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 whose mandate to us at the polls was regrettably truncated by INEC,”
In a related development, the candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar said he was not new to legal battles and that his resolve to challenge the tribunal judgement was borne out of his commitment to entrench a credible democratic process.
“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,” he said.
Atiku, who came second behind Bola Tinubu in the election, said the tribunal judgement affirming Tinubu’s victory failed to restore confidence.
According to him, “Though the judgement of yesterday is respected, it is a judgement I refused to accept. I refused to accept the judgement because I believe it is bereft of substantial justice,”
He, however, upheld that the tribunal judgement would not “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 this instance, is the Supreme Court of Nigeria,” he added.
