Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) nominee for president, has pleaded with the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to muster the courage to fairly adjudicate his petition challenging Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s election victory on February 25.
On Sunday, Atiku made it clear that, in contrast to Tinubu’s prediction, the sky won’t fall if Tinubu were to be removed from office as president of Nigeria by the tribunal due to widespread electoral fraud.
Atiku characterized Tinubu’s threat as a hollow one used to deter the tribunal from upholding justice in the petition contesting Tinubu’s election in his final written speech.
The former Vice President referred to the Supreme Court’s brave stance in the case of Rotimi Amaechi, where the high court said that when justice is carried out in accordance with the letter and spirit of the law, heavens won’t fall. In his final written statement, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, the former Vice President’s lead attorney, recalled this.
The Supreme Court judge quoted in the cited authority, Justice George Adesola Oguntade, had stated: “I must do justice even if the heavens fall. Of course, it is true that the heavens remain still and at peace after justice has been served.
By ignoring the threat of enormous chaos posed by Tinubu to thwart justice, Atiku requested that the tribunal use the boldness demonstrated in the last Supreme Court verdict to resolve his suit against Tinubu.
After admitting to a punitive forfeiture of $406,000 in a drug and money laundering-related incident, the former vice president said that Tinubu had forfeited his moral and legal right to hold the office of president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Additionally, Tinubu was declared the victor of the election illegally, according to Atiku, who accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of corruptly altering the election results in Tinubu’s favor.
The former vice president appealed for the INEC proclamation to be void and set aside, and in its place, declare him the election’s victor having convincingly received the majority of the legal votes, citing the alleged brazen subversion of the popular will of the voters by Tinubu.