The People’s Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has rejected the unfavourable outcome of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) held on Wednesday, eptember 6, 2023, and affirms his decision to appeal to the Supreme Court, as he is no stranger to legal battles.
In a press conference, Atiku addressed his party stakeholders and said that his ultimate goal in this pursuit is to ensure that democracy is further strengthened through the principles and processes of fair hearing.
“I’m here today to express my official response to the Presidential Election Petition Court’s judgement on the 2023 presidential election from yesterday.
As you already know, I approached the court following the declaration by INEC that the APC and its candidate were the winners of the February 25 presidential election.
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, owes 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 to be a worthy pillar to rest on in the pursuit of justice.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, our nation’s electoral umpire, handled the most recent presidential election in an unfavourable manner, which I believe the courts have a duty to correct. The way INEC handled the most recent presidential election severely undermined our gains in ensuring transparent elections through the use of technology, and I’m afraid that the court’s decision as delivered by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal yesterday did not inspire confidence in our aspirations for free and fair elections devoid of human manipulations.
Like I said 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. I am therefore here to tell you that, though the judgment of the court yesterday is respected, it is a judgement that I refuse to accept. I refuse to accept the judgement because I believe that it is bereft of substantial justice. However, disappointment in the verdict of the court can never 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. 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 this is the only way through which our democracy can manifest its true meaning. Whether I prevail in this quest or not, the record of my efforts in ensuring credible elections in Nigeria shall remain for future generations to evaluate.
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.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen of the press, I thank you for your attention”.
