In response to the Supreme Court‘s decision affirming President Bola Tinubu as the victor of the February 25, 2023, presidential election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) voiced its disappointment with the outcome declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The PDP presented its standpoint through a statement from its national publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, in Abuja on Thursday, in reaction to the court’s judgment on the appeal petition filed by the party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, with regards to the election.
According to Mr. Ologunagba, the rationale of the Supreme Court had stirred alarm, disappointment, and grave concern within the PDP and a majority of Nigerians.
He asserted that the PDP was of the opinion that the judgment ran counter to the specific provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended); the Electoral Act, 2022; and the Guidelines and Regulations issued by INEC for the conduct of the election.
‘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.’
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‘Instead, it trashed the expectation of majority of Nigerians who looked up to it as a temple of impartiality to deliver substantial justice in the matter having regards 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.’
‘This is especially with regards to the required statutory 25 per cent 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 All Progressives Congress (APC),’ Mr Ologunagba said.
He said that Nigerians were still at a loss as to how the Supreme Court condoned the ‘serious issues of forgery, falsehood and perjury on the altar of technicalities,’ he said.
Mr. Ologunagba pointed out that the overall mood of gloom, sadness, and a sense of despair nationwide following the judgment was a troubling indication of an unsettling situation that signals potential repercussions because of the disappointment entrenched in the ruling
‘This judgement 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,’ he stated.
However, Mr. Ologunagba stated that the PDP continued unwavering and undeterred.
He appealed to Nigerians not to feel disheartened or let the judgment deviate them from their shared endeavor to establish a credible electoral system that ensures a government’s legitimacy emanates from the people.