The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that it is appalled by the judgment of the Supreme Court in the petition filed by its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, against the declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Bola Tinubu as winners of the February 25, 2023 Presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In its reaction to the verdict on Thursday, the main opposition party asserted that it goes against the provision of the country’s Constitution.
In a statement issued by its national spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, the PDP said that along with the majority of Nigerians, it is “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 party further noted: “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 most Nigerians who looked up to it as a Temple of Impartiality to deliver substantial justice regarding the case’s laws and facts.
“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 eerie situation which portend grave consequences because of the disappointment embedded in the judgment.
“This judgment by the Supreme Court has evidently shaken the confidence of Nigerians in the judiciary, especially the Supreme Court as the last hope of the common man.”
The statement added that the party remains undeterred and charged Nigerians not to be discouraged or allow the judgment to detract from their collective quest to entrench a credible electoral system that can guarantee a government that truly derives its legitimacy from the people.
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