Atiku did not congratulate Tinubu

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Thursday refuted reports that he has congratulated President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the judgement of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal on Wednesday in Abuja.

The Atiku Campaign in a statement on Thursday declared that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has not issued any statement congratulating President Bola Tinubu over the outcome of the election petition tribunal in Abuja.

READ ALSO: Abbas congratulates Tinubu on victory at Tribunal

According to the statement, asserted that a purported statement allegedly from Atiku, congratulating Tinubu on the judgement of the tribunal, “is fake news being orchestrated by those desperately looking for validation for the usurpation of the mandate of Nigerians.”

The statement maintained: “Atiku couldn’t have validated electoral banditry because doing so would have amounted to a rape on the conscience of Nigerians who have struggled for years to entrench electoral integrity.
“If their conscience is clear and they are convinced that their victory is valid, they don’t have to blackmail their political opponents into congratulating them through fake news.

“Why should a man be desperate for validation? Does truth require validation? Why should you issue a congratulatory statement and attribute it to Atiku if your conscience is not troubled by the electoral heist you have perpetrated.”

READ ALSO: Tinubu felicitates with Bunmi Oni, former Cadbury Nigeria CEO, at 70

It was stated that contrary to the fake news being circulated by Tinubu propagandists, Atiku has already asked his lawyers to proceed to the Supreme Court to challenge the judgement of the election petition tribunal.
The statement declared: “To confirm that the purported message is fake and pedestrian, it was addressed to the “President-elect.” Though we know it is a pyrrhic victory, is it not ridiculous to still address Bola Tinubu as “President-elect” five months after swearing-in?

“This struggle is not about Atiku; it’s about Nigeria and the future of our democracy. By allowing election riggers to get away with their misdeeds, our democracy will be in greater jeopardy. Consent is essential to democratic mandate; ruling people against their will undermines everything democracy stands for.”

It was asserted that the PDP presidential candidate is not going into retirement and will instead continue to be part of the struggle to deepen democracy in the country.

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According to the statement, “The Waziri has nothing personal against President Tinubu. He owes him no ill will. Let me, however, make it very clear that this struggle is about principle and justice. He is not in this struggle because he hates Tinubu. He is in it to ensure that people who rigged elections are not allowed to get away with it. Injustice and rigging promote bitterness and division. No leader should be proud to lead angry and aggrieved citizens.”