The 2023 Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has rejected the verdict, given by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, at the appeal court in Abuja, on Wednesday.
Atiku who had earlier rejected the verdict through his team of lawyers shortly after the tribunal sitting on Wednesday, made this known while addressing a press conference at the PDP national secretariat Abuja, on Thursday, September 7, 2023.
It would be recalled that Atiku who had approached the court with petitions, seeking to disqualify the victory of the then All Progressives Congress candidate, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the winner of the February 25 Presidential election, got his petitions thrown in the bin, when the appeal court upheld the victory of President Tinubu in the election.
The former Vice President had at the end of the tribunal judgement which upheld the victory of Tinubu, said through his team of lawyers, that he would pursue the case to the Supreme Court, to set aside the judgement of the court of appeal, which he said, was not fair enough for the country’s democratic system.
However, the press conference he held on Thursday, September 7, 2023, was to officially, make his intention known and to inform the party supporters, Nigerians and the entire world as a whole, how the next decision in his political career will affect the changes needed in the political terrain.
Here is the full statement at the conference:
“PROTOCOL
“Good afternoon, Gentlemen of the Press.
“I am here today to give my official reaction to the judgment delivered yesterday by the Presidential Election Petition Court on the 2023 presidential election.
“As you already know, I approached the court following the declaration by INEC that the APC and its candidate are 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, 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. Throughout 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.
“The last presidential election in our country and the way it was managed by the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, leaves behind unenviable precedents, which I believe the courts must redress. Our gains in ensuring transparent elections through the deployment of technology were heavily compromised by INEC in the way it managed the last presidential election, and I am afraid that the judgement of the court as rendered by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal yesterday, 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.
“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 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.
“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 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 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.
“Atiku Abubakar, GCON
Waziri Adamawa
Vice President of Nigeria (1999 – 2007)
2023 PDP Presidential Candidate
