The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the Supreme Court verdict affirming President Bola Tinubu’s victory in the February 2023 election is disappointing and trashed the expectations of Nigerians.
Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, presidential candidates of the PDP and Labour Party (LP) respectively, had appealed the verdict of the Presidential Election Petitions Court (PEPC) upholding Tinubu’s victory.
The Supreme Court on Thursday however dismissed the appeals of both men on the basis that they lacked merit.
In a statement following the Supreme Court verdict, Debo Ologunagba, spokesman for the PDP expressed disappointment with the outcome.
“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.”
The party further purported that the Supreme Court had by the judgement, condoned, “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.
The party however said Nigerians should not be discouraged or allow the judgment to detract from their collective quest for the entrenchment of a credible electoral system.
In a similar vein, the Labour Party (LP) claimed that the legislative and judicial arms of government have been hijacked by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Julius Abure, chairman of the Labour Party, addressing a press conference hours after the Supreme Court judgement, said the party was disappointed in the outcome of the judgement but remained optimistic regarding the future of Nigeria.
A seven-judge panel led by Justice John Iyang Okoro ruled the opposition appeals over claims of fraud, electoral law violations, and Tinubu’s ineligibility to run for president lacked merit.
The apex court affirmed the September 6, 2023 ruling by the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal that upheld the victory of APC’s Tinubu.
