Former Vice President and Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar has finally made an official comment reacting to the Supreme Court verdict that quashed his hopes of being Nigeria’s President.
Reacting to the October 26 Supreme Court verdict which affirmed the victory of President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the February 25 Presidential election, the PDP Presidential candidate said all is not well with the Supreme Court of Nigeria and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Atiku in a press conference in Abuja on Monday said though the Apex Court’s decision is final, he will not stop lending his voice in order to deepen democracy in the country.
He noted that the recent alarm raised by retired Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad and the former Chairman of INEC, Prof Attahiru Jega are indications that there is rot in the system as they have allegedly become a tool in the hand of the ruling party to suppress the will of the masses.
He added that his legal battle with President Bola Tinubu that ended recently was not just about him but in the general interest of the country as his desire was to ensure that the right thing is done for the sake of posterity.
“To deepen our democracy and rule of law. At the current historic moment, the easier option for me would have been to fold up and retreat after the mandate banditry perpetrated by the APC and INEC.
“But I went to the Nigerian courts to seek redress. I even went to an American court to help with unravelling what our state institutions charged with such responsibilities were unwilling or unable to do, including unravelling the qualifying academic records of the person sworn in as our President and by implication, hopefully who he really is.
“I offered that evidence procured with the assistance of the American Court to our Supreme Court to help it to do justice in this case. I give this background to underscore that what we are currently dealing with is bigger than one or two presidential elections and is certainly bigger than Atiku Abubakar.
“It is not about me; it is about our country, Nigeria. It is about the kind of society we want to leave for the next generation and what kind of example we want to set for our children and their children.
“It is about the reputation of Nigeria and Nigerians in the eyes of the world. We showed incontrovertible evidence that Bola A. Tinubu was not qualified to contest the Presidential Election because he forged the qualifying academic certificate, which he submitted to INEC.
“In fact, a simple check of Tinubu’s past records in its possession would have shown INEC that Tinubu broke the law and should not have been allowed to contest the election.
“We showed irrefutable evidence of gross irregularities, violence, and manipulations during the elections. We showed incontrovertible evidence that INEC violated the Electoral Act and deliberately sabotaged its own publicly announced processes and procedures in order to illegally declare Tinubu elected. The position of the Supreme Court, even though final, leaves so much unanswered.
“Even the rebuke by retired Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad is a confirmation from within the apex court that all is not well with the Supreme Court. The court and indeed the judiciary must never lend itself to politicization as it is currently the norm with nearly every institution in Nigeria. By the way, the strong rebuke of the apex court by the revered Justice, who had meritoriously served for more than four decades, should not be swept under the carpet.
“The alarm raised by Justice Muhammad and recently, former INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, offer Nigerians an explanation into why the electoral and judicial system have become the lost hope of the common man.
“Judges are no longer appointed based on merit but are products of the interplay of politics and nepotism. Worse still, the appointment of electoral officials has also been hijacked by the ruling party as seen in the latest nomination of Resident Electoral Commissioners where card carrying members of the ruling party and aides to politicians in the APC are being appointed into INEC. When two critical institutions like the court and the electoral commission are trapped in an evil web of political machination, it becomes next to impossible for democracy to thrive.
“As a stakeholder in the presidential election of February 25, I, along with other well-meaning Nigerians have done my bit in ensuring that our democratic process enjoys the privilege of full disclosure of the character deficiencies of the current political leadership. I also believe that even if the Supreme Court believes otherwise, the purpose of technology in our electoral system is to enhance transparency and not merely as a viewing centre. We have to move with the world and not be stuck in time,” Atiku said.
Atiku also said he had earlier told someone before the Supreme Court judgement that the country is doomed if the Supreme Court fails to do the right thing as the consequences will linger for decades.
“Someone asked me what I would do if I lost my election petition appeal at the Supreme Court. In response, I said that as long as Nigeria wins, the struggle would have been worth the while. By that, I meant that the bigger loss would not be mine but Nigeria’s if the Supreme Court legitimizes illegality, including forgery, identity theft, and perjury.
“If the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, implies by its judgment that crime is good and should be rewarded, then Nigeria has lost and the country is doomed irrespective of who occupies the Presidential seat.
“If the Supreme Court decides that the Electoral umpire, INEC, can tell the public one thing and then do something else in order to reach a corruptly predetermined outcome, then there is really no hope for the country’s democracy and electoral politics.
“Obviously, the consequences of those decisions for the country will not end at the expiration of the current government. They will last for decades. I am absolutely sure that history will vindicate me. We now know what the Supreme Court has decided.”
He therefore pledged his commitment to upholding democracy and rules of law and called for an urgent amendment of the 1999 Constitution.
“As for me and my party, this phase of our work is done. However, I am not going away. For as long as I breathe I will continue to struggle, with other Nigerians, to deepen our democracy and rule of law and for the kind of political and economic restructuring the country needs to reach its true potential. That struggle should now be led by the younger generation of Nigerians who have even more at stake than my generation.
“So, let me make a few proposals that I believe will help. We can urgently make constitutional amendments that will prevent any court or tribunal from hiding behind technicalities and legal sophistry to affirm electoral heists and undermine the will of the people. Our democracy must mean something; it must be substantive. Above all, it must be expressed through free, fair and transparent elections that respect the will of the people.
“Firstly, we must make electronic voting and collation of results mandatory. This is the 21st century and countries less advanced than Nigeria are doing so already. It is only bold initiatives that transform societies.
“Secondly, we must provide that all litigation arising from a disputed election must be concluded before the inauguration of a winner. This was the case in 1979. The current time frame between elections and inauguration of winners is inadequate to dispense with election litigations.
“What we have currently is akin to asking thieves to keep their loot and use the same to defend themselves while the case of their robbery is being decided. It only encourages mandate banditry rather than discourages it.
“Thirdly, in order to ensure popular mandate and real representation, we must move to require a candidate for President to earn 50% +1 of the valid votes cast, failing which a run-off between the top two candidates will be held. Most countries that elect their presidents use this Two-Round System (with slight variations) rather than our current First-Past-the-Post system.
“Examples include France, Finland, Austria, Bulgaria, Portugal, Poland, Turkey and Russia, Argentina, Brazil, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Namibia, Mozambique, Madagascar and even Liberia where a run-off is expected to hold in the coming days.
“Fourthly, in order to reduce the desperation of incumbents and distractions from governing and also to promote equity and national unity, we need to move to a single six-year term for President to be rotated among the six geo-political zones. This will prevent the ganging up of two or more geo-political zones to alternate the presidency among themselves to the exclusion of other zones,” Atiku said among other things.
…Stop being delusional, accept defeat as a statesman — APC knocks Atiku
In a swift reaction to Atiku’s Press Conference, the All Progressives Congress (APC) describing it as “a long, windy, incoherent and preposterous speech unbefitting of a former Vice President,”,
adding that he lacks constitutional right to fault the decision of the apex court.”
“In his foggy and contemptuous perspective, the Supreme Court ‘implies by its judgment that crime is good and should be rewarded.’Atiku regurgitated his illusory claim that President Bola Tinubu did not win the February 25, 2023 presidential election. Rather, he soliloquized that they ‘showed irrefutable evidence of gross irregularities, violence and manipulations during the elections,’ allegations that were roundly dismissed by the Presidential Election Petitions Court and the Supreme Court as unsubstantiated and unproven.
“Strikingly, nowhere in his long epistle of a press statement did Atiku state that he won the election, corroborating the courts’ finding and decision that he did not, in fact, win the election.
“It is delusional for Atiku, and his degenerate PDP, to have expected the courts to rely on their bogus, flimsy, unverifiable, uncorroborated, illogical and hearsay evidence to upturn an election that was conducted in substantial compliance with the Constitution and electoral laws of our land.
“Thankfully, it does not lie in Atiku’s mouth to declare what constitutes ‘incontrovertible evidence.’ That is the constitutional duty of the courts and which they have discharged honorably and creditably,” The statement read.
The APC further stated that the narrative of the former Vice President would have been different if the judgement had been in his favor and urged him to place national interest above personal interest.
“For a serial election loser whose life ambition is to rule the country, we understand how pained and utterly distraught Atiku must be. However, to continue to deny and disrespect the collective will of Nigerians, disparage the judiciary, incite rage and call our democratic institutions into question is beyond the pale.
“Why is it so hard for Atiku to accept the popular choice of the electorate and the valid decisions of the courts? How is it that a man of his stature can be so befuddled to this disturbing level of election and judicial denialism? Would Atiku vilify the judiciary as he is doing had he won the election and upheld by the courts as winner?”
“Atiku, you are right that this is not and cannot be all about you. Yes, it is about our country Nigeria. Nigeria is greater than your unrealized ambition to be president. Nigeria must move and has moved on.
“Regrettably, you missed the opportunity of your press conference to redeem your prestige as an elder and statesman by rising above political pettiness, and offer befitting congratulations to President Tinubu on his electoral victory. Rather than vindicate you, history will not forget your unwillingness to put the country first and above your personal political ambition.” The APC said.
