NEWS DIGEST– The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed its disappointment and shock with the verdict handed down by the Supreme Court in the case filed by its Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, challenging the declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Bola Tinubu as the winners of the February polls.
According to the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, the judgment does not align with the constitution and the electoral act. He went further to state that the decision by the court has undermined the trust of Nigerians in the judiciary, especially the highest court in the land.
In light of this, the PDP has made it known that the outcome of this case has dealt a significant blow to the credibility of the Supreme Court. The party believes that the decision delivered falls short of the expectations of many Nigerians who looked to the judiciary for justice and fairness.
The PDP is resolute in its commitment to the judicial process and will exhaust all available legal channels to ensure that the Nigerian people’s will is upheld in the pattern of future elections.
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“The PDP and indeed majority of Nigerians are alarmed, disappointed and gravely concerned with the reasoning of the Supreme Court which the PDP believes is against the express provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2022, the Guideline and Regulation issued by INEC under which the election was conducted.”
“The PDP asserts that it is indeed a sad commentary for our 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 regard 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 an eerie situation that hat portends grave consequences because of the disappointment embedded in the judgment.
“This judgment by the Supreme Court has shaken the confidence of Nigerians in the judiciary, especially the Supreme Court as the last hope of the common man.”
However, the PDP said it remains undeterred and charges Nigerians not to be discouraged or allow the judgment to distract them 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.
