The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, has reacted to the ruling of the Supreme court that dismissed the PDP’s suit against the candidature of the Vice-President elect, Kashim Shettima and President elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Atiku said the judgement of the five member panel has nothing to do with his attempt to get justice.
He said it was never a setback to his quest for justice.
This was contained in a statement he posted on his verified Twitter handle on Friday.
“The Supreme Court’s dismissal of the case of the @OfficialPDPNig is not a setback to my quest for justice.
“Our legal team are primed to robustly prove that the election of February 25 was fraudulent, did not comply with the constitutional requirements and the electoral guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission, @inecnigeria, and that the announced winner was not even qualified to contest the poll.
“The battle for democracy and the enthronement of a new order to spur growth and development in Nigeria is one to which I have committed my all and for which I am not ready to walk away at this point when our nation is at crossroads.
“We know that sooner than later, our esteemed Justices will make the pronouncement that will serve as a befitting requiem for mandate bandits,” he said.
Atiku, however, urged his supporters to exercise patience and conduct themselves peaceably as the court process continues at the Presidential Election Tribunal Court.
Atiku was reacting to the Supreme Court, ruling on Friday, affirming the eligibility of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to contest the presidential election that held on February 25.
The apex court, in a unanimous decision by a five-member panel, agreed that an appeal the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, filed to challenge the legality of Tinubu’s candidacy, lacked merit.
Recall that PDP had in the appeal marked: SC/CV/501/2023, prayed the Apex court to disqualify Tinubu on the grounds that his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, allowed himself to be nominated for more than one constituency, ahead of the 2023 general elections.
It told the court that Shettima was nominated twice, both for the Borno Central Senatorial seat and for the Vice Presidential position.
PDP argued that Shettima’s dual nomination, was in gross breach of the provisions of Sections 29(1), 33, 35 and 84(1) and (2) of the Electoral Act, 2022, as amended.
Consequently, aside from praying the court to nullify Tinubu and Shettima’s candidacy, the Appellant equally applied for an order to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to expunge their names from the list of nominated or sponsored candidates that were eligible to contest the presidential poll.
Meanwhile, Justice Adamu Jauro, who led the apex court’s five member panel, delivered the verdict that the PDP lacked the locus standi (legal right) to interfere in affairs of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, which nominated both Tinubu and Shettima for the presidential election.
The Supreme Court uphold the earlier decisions of the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court in Abuja, which earlier dismissed PDP’s case.
