- Heads to Supreme Court
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the final judgement of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal that favoured President Muhammadu Buhari, describing it as provocative and an assault on the integrity of Nigeria’s judiciary.
The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary Kola Ologbondiyan, expressed shock that the tribunal ruled in favour of President Buhari despite alleged evidence that he submitted false documents in preparation for the last presidential election. Moreover, the opposition party alleged that the tribunal gave excuses for the lack of evidence from the respondents and also overlooked the false academic certificates presented by the president. Even more, the PDP said that mixed reactions from Nigerians and the international community are proofs that the tribunal’s ruling is a miscarriage of justice.
Below is the full text of the statement titled:
Verdict, a subversion of Justice
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) completely rejects the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal describing it as provocative, barefaced subversion of justice and direct assault on the integrity of our nation’s justice system.
The party is particularly shocked that the tribunal failed to point to justice despite the flawless evidence laid before it, showing that President Buhari was not only unqualified to contest the election but also did not score the majority of valid votes at the polls.
The PDP finds as bewildering that a court of law could validate a clear case of perjury and declaration of false information in a sworn affidavit, as firmly established against President Muhammadu Buhari, even in the face of incontrovertible evidence.
The party is also rudely shocked that the Court took over the roles of the Respondents’ lawyers who clearly abandoned their pleadings by refusing to call evidence in defense of the petition. The court raked up all manner of excuses to make up for the yawning gaps occasioned by the total absence of any evidence from the Respondents.
Nigerians and the international community watched in utter disbelief when the tribunal ruled that one need not provide a copy or certified true copy of educational certificate such individual claimed to possess, contrary to established proof of claims of certification.
The party notes as strange that the court even went ahead to provide rationalizations in favour of President Buhari, even when all hard facts before it shows that he did not possess the claimed educational certificate and that the Army was not in possession of his WAEC certificate as claimed in the affidavit he deposed to in his Presidential nomination form.
The PDP also described as shocking that the court approved the flawed declaration of President Buhari as the winner of the election despite evidence to show the perpetration of illegalities, manipulations, alterations and subtraction of valid votes freely given to Atiku Abubakar by Nigerians.
Indeed, the pervading melancholic atmosphere across our nation since the verdict is a direct indication that the judgment has not fulfilled the desires and expectations of Nigerians.
The PDP however encouraged Nigerians to remain calm and not to lose hope or surrender to despondency or self-help, as our lawyers are upbeat in obtaining justice at the Supreme Court.
This is more so as the tribunal itself admitted that there are several errors in the judgment.