Atiku, who is also a former vice president (1999 to 2007) made this declaration on Thursday while making his official reaction to the verdict of the PEPC, which dismissed his petition challenging the victory of President Bola Tinubu during the February 25, 2023 presidential election.

He said his hope was in God and he would win the war of restoring confidence in Nigeria’s electoral system.

Expressing displeasure at the verdict of the court as delivered on Wednesday, Atiku asserted that “though the judgment of the court yesterday is respected, it is a judgment that I refuse to accept. I refuse to accept the judgment because I believe that it is bereft of substantial justice.”

He said, “Consequently, I have asked my lawyers to activate my constitutionally guaranteed rights of appeal to the higher court, which, in the instance, is the Supreme Court. It is my conviction that the electoral process in Nigeria should be devoid of untidy manipulations and that the outcome of every election should be a perfect reflection of the wishes of the electorate.”

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The statement by Atiku reads in full:

“I am here today to give my official reaction to the judgment delivered yesterday by the Presidential Election Petition Court on the 2023 presidential election.

“As you already know, I approached the court following the declaration by INEC that the APC and its candidate are the winners of the February 25, Presidential Election.

“My decision to go to court is anchored in my belief that the court is the sanctuary of justice. The journey of my political career, as you know, holds so much to the courage and fearless decisions of our judiciary.

“Indeed, I am no stranger to legal battles, and I can say that I have a fair idea of how the court system works. All through my career as a politician, I have been a fighter, and I must say that I have found the judiciary as a worthy pillar to rest on in the pursuit of justice.

“The last presidential election in our country and the way it was managed by the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, leaves behind unenviable precedents, which I believe the courts have a duty to redress. Our gains in ensuring transparent elections through the deployment of technology was heavily compromised by INEC in the way it managed the last presidential election, and I am afraid that the judgement of the court as rendered by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal yesterday, failed to restore confidence in our dreams of free and fair elections devoid of human manipulations.

“Like I did say at the beginning of this legal battle when I instructed my lawyers to file my petition challenging the outcome of the presidential election, my ultimate goal in this pursuit is to ensure that democracy is further strengthened through the principles and processes of fair hearing.

“Gentlemen of the press, I take great pains to tell you that the decision of the court of first instance on this matter utterly falls far short of that expectation. I am therefore here to tell you that, though the judgment of the court yesterday is respected, it is a judgment that I refuse to accept. I refuse to accept the judgment because I believe that it is bereft of substantial justice. However, the disappointment in the verdict of the court can never destroy my confidence in the judiciary.

“Consequently, I have asked my lawyers to activate my constitutionally guaranteed rights of appeal to the higher court, which, in the instance, is the Supreme Court. It is my conviction that the electoral process in Nigeria should be devoid of untidy manipulations and that the outcome of every election should be a perfect reflection of the wishes of the electorate. I believe that such is the only way through which our democracy can have a manifest expression of its true meaning. Whether I prevail in this quest or not, the record of my effort in ensuring an order of credible elections in Nigeria shall remain for the future generations to evaluate.

“On this note, I urge all my supporters to remain steadfast. I urge them to take solace in an immortal lesson I learned from my leader and mentor, the late Shehu Yar’Adua, that losing a battle is less important than losing the war. We may have lost a battle yesterday, but the war is well ahead of us. And I believe that with our hope in God, we shall win the war of restoring confidence in our electoral system.

“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen of the Press, I thank you for your attention.”

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Reacting to the court verdict, Governor Sanwo-Olu said the APC members across Nigeria and the President, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, worked very hard for the victory enjoyed at the February 25th presidential election.

He noted that the Presidential Election Petition Court’s decision, which was in favour of the president was comforting and also an affirmation of the will of over eight million Nigerians who filed out to cast their ballots for the APC and President Bola Tinubu as their choice.

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Governor Sanwo-Olu in a statement issued on Wednesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr.  Gboyega Akosile, said Nigerians had spoken through the ballots and the court had also validated the citizens’ decision by the judicial pronouncements,  which upheld the victory of President Tinubu during the 2023 presidential poll.

The governor said millions of Nigerians were not in doubt as regards the mandate freely given to Tinubu to steer the ship of Nigeria for four years based on his track records and laudable achievements as two-term governor of Lagos State.

Sanwo-Olu, enjoined Nigerians across party divide to team up with Tinubu to deliver the real dividends of democracy to Nigerians through the Renewed Hope agenda of the incumbent administration, saying today’s judicial verdict is victory for democracy and the rule of law.

In the same vein, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State on Wednesday congratulated Tinubu and Vice President, Kashim Shettima on their resounding victory at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.

Abiodun said the tribunal’s verdict was an affirmation of the trust reposed in the Tinubu by Nigerians as evidenced in the outcome of the presidential election.

He described the judgment as sound, detailed and comprehensive, noting that the judges displayed unmatched courage in the discharge of their duties.

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The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said that the judgment was against reason, facts and evidence presented in court.

“As a party, we have had an initial review of the judgment as delivered by the PEPC and we unequivocally reject the said judgement in its entirety.

“The judgment is against reason, against the facts and evidence presented in court; against the relevant Electoral Laws, Guidelines and Regulations as well as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

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“Indeed, the judgment is generous in technicalities and very short in delivering substantial justice in the matter,” he said.

Ologunagba said that the PDP, as a law-abiding political party would, with its lawyers, have a comprehensive review of the judgment and decide on the next line of action within the ambit of the law.

He called on Nigerians to remain calm and united, saying PDP would continue to lead the charge to defend Nigeria’s democracy .

He said that the party would continue to ensure that the will of the people as expressed in the February 25, presidential election was respected and restored.

The PDP and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, had gone to the court against the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the All Progressives Congress, APC, and Tinubu over his declaration as winner of the election.

The court, in his judgment, dismissed all the three petitions by the Allied Peoples Movement, APM; the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP; Mr Peter Obi and that of the PDP and Atiku Abubakar.

Source: NAN

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Obi had among other things, alleged irregularities in the February 25 presidential election.

But in its verdict, the PEPC dismissed the petition by Obi and the Labour Party.

Reacting to the verdict, the Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Mr. Obiora Ifoh, said the verdict of the court was rejected in its entirety.

READ ALSO: 2023 election: PEPC dismisses Obi, LP’s petition on irregularities

Speaking shortly after the verdict in Abuja, he said “The Labour Party watched with dismay and trepidation the dismissal of petitions by the five-man panel of the Presidential Election Petition Court led by Justice Haruna Tsammani today and we reject the outcome of the judgment in its entirety because justice was not served and it did not reflect the law and the desire of the people.”

He said further: “Nigerians were witnesses to the electoral robbery that took place on February 25, 2023, which was globally condemned, but the tribunal in its wisdom refused to accept the obvious.

“What is at stake is democracy and we will not relent until the people’s will prevail.

“We salute the doggedness of our team of lawyers who fearlessly exposed the rot in our system.

“We can only weep for democracy in Nigeria, but we refuse to give up on Nigeria.

“Details of the party’s position will be presented after consultation with our lawyers after we get the Certified True Copy of the judgment.

“We urge all lovers of democracy to remain focused and hopeful because a new Nigeria is possible.”

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Obi’s case was against the election of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The court ruled that Obi and his party did not adequately detail their allegations of corrupt practices, vote suppression, fictitious results, and other irregularities in their petition.

The verdict was announced on Wednesday by one of the five justices, Abba Mohammed, while reading the ruling on the petition.

The court said the petitioners made generic allegations of irregularities against the respondent without specifying the polling units.

“The petitioners allege irregularities and will use spreadsheets, inspection reports, and forensic analysis as evidence in the trial.

“The documents promised by the petitioners were not attached to the petition and served on the respondents,” the court said.

PEPC, had also earlier dismissed a petition filed by the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, seeking the nullification of the election of President Bola Tinubu.

The APM’s petition was based on the alleged double nomination of Kashim Shettima for the 2023 elections.

According to the party, Shettima was nominated as Tinubu’s running mate while he still had the ticket of Borno North Senatorial District to contest in the same elections.

But delivering judgement on the matter, the chairman of the panel, Justice Haruna Tsammani, struck out the petition by APM.

He described the case as a pre-election matter and the PEPC had no jurisdiction over it.

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In a unanimous decision, the five-member panel held that the order sought by the petitioners lacked merit and was outside the scope of the petition.

The judges held that televising of proceedings was not provided for in any law.

They held that the court was created by the constitution and operated under the law by the Court Of Appeal.

“The court was created to hear and determine the petitions before it.

“The undue pressure of allowing cameras into the courtroom should be avoided as the impact it would have on witnesses could not be predicted.

“The court is created to find out the truth and should be allowed to do so,” Justice Tsammani said.

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