Inaugural FEC meeting saved me from trauma while presidential election tribunal judgement lasted —Buhari

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has said the first Federal Executive Council meeting held on the same day of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal judgement at the Court of Appeal saved him from the trauma of uncertainty.

The president said this on Friday when he received members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors Forum, led by their chairman, Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, who were at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to congratulate him on his victory at the tribunal.

He said he was fortunate that the judgment, which declared him winner of the February 23 presidential poll, coincided with the inaugural Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting which he chaired.

The president also spoke on the controversies surrounding his certificate.

He said he immersed himself in deliberating on memos at the meeting which coincided with the judgement day.

The tribunal had on Wednesday thrown out the petition of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, challenging Buhari’s electoral victory.

The president said: “This judgment, it was a fabulous coincidence that it came almost the same time the first Federal Executive Council meeting of this government was taking place.

“It lasted about the same time with the judgment. I thank God for that because I think I would have gone into trauma or something. So, I was busy trying to concentrate on the memo.

“The first memo was on the budget and it took more than five hours. So, while you were doing your thing for nine hours, we were doing ours for about seven hours here.

“It is a very interesting coincidence and I thank God for it because I would have been in trauma or something of that sort. So, thank you very much for sharing the glory with us.

“What I will say to your congratulations, the chairman of the party and the governors, is that we make sure that we really institutionalise the party, so that when we leave the stage, the party will continue to lead,” he said.

Speaking on controversies surrounding his certificate, Buhari explained that most of his formative years as a child were spent in the boarding school where there was much discipline.

The National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, in his remarks, said the judgement of the tribunal had silenced the voice of opposition and critics of the Buhari administration.

He said the ruling party was never in doubt that all the issues raised by the PDP candidate would be trashed out for lacking in merit.

“We never had doubts that you won your votes. All the issues raised by our opponents were trashed out one after the order by the Justices that sat on the panel.

“But of particular interest to us, Mr President, as members of the progressive family is that we are all aware that the only asset Mr President has invested and continues to invest in your political journey and your political project is your integrity.”