The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Thursday, faulted the Supreme Court judgement on the appeal filed by its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, against the declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as winner of the February 25, 2023 presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The opposition party said the judgement was against the express provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2022, the Guidelines and Regulations issued by INEC under which the election was conducted.
LEADERSHIP reports that the apex Court dismissed the appeal filed by Atiku for lacking in merit, thereby affirming the electoral victory of President Tinubu.
But, the PDP, in a statement by its national publicity secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, said majority of Nigerians were alarmed, disappointed and gravely concerned with the reasoning of the Supreme Court.
The party said it was a sad commentary for Nigeria’s democracy that the Supreme Court failed to uphold the provisions of the law.
“Instead, it trashed the expectation of the majority of Nigerians who looked up to it as a Temple of Impartiality to deliver substantial justice in the matter having regards to the laws and facts of the case.
“Nigerians earnestly expected the Supreme Court to uphold and defend the clear provisions of the 1999 Constitution in terms of qualification and minimum requirement for a winner to be declared in a Presidential election in Nigeria especially with regards to the required statutory 25% of votes in the FCT as well as issues of violation of electoral Rules and Guidelines, brazen manipulations and alterations of election results by the APC.
“Nigerians are still at a loss as to how the Supreme Court condoned the serious issues of forgery, falsehood and perjury on the altar of technicalities.
“The general gloom, melancholy and sense of despondency across the country upon the delivery of the judgment is an ominous sign of eerie situation which portend grave consequences because of the disappointment embedded in the judgment.
“This judgment by the Supreme Court has evidently shaken the confidence of Nigerians in the judiciary, especially the Supreme Court as the last hope of the common man,” the party said.
The PDP, however, said it remains undeterred and charged Nigerians not to be discouraged or allow the judgment to detract from their collective quest for the entrenchment of a credible electoral system that can guarantee a government that truly derives its legitimacy from the people.
