Supreme Court has dashed hopes of Nigerians with ratification of Tinubu’s victory–PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that Nigerians’ expectations were “thrashed” and that the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold President Bola Tinubu’s election in February 2023 was disappointing.

This was contained in a statement issued on Thursday, by the PDP spokesperson, Debo Ologunagba, in the wake of the court’s ruling ratifying President Bola Tinubu’s victory at the recent elections.

Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Peter Obi of the Labour Party – the two leading opposition candidates at the election – had filed separate appeals to challenge the earlier 6 September verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Court which affirmed Mr. Tinubu’s victory.

Nigeria’s electoral commission, INEC, had declared Mr Tinubu the winner of the election on 1 March.

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However, Atiku and Mr. Obi, who came second and third, respectively, questioned INEC’s conduct of the polls; as they alleged widespread electoral fraud and the ineligibility of Mr Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima to vie for the presidency.

But the apex court on Thursday dismissed their appeals, saying they lacked merit, which elicited a response from the major opposition party.

The statement reads, “The PDP and indeed the 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 statement read.

“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.”

It accused the Supreme Court of condoning “serious issues of forgery, falsehood and perjury on the altar of technicalities.

“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 PDP said.