Tobias Sylvester
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar has insisted that the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, is unfit to govern Nigeria.
Atiku stated this in his response to to Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s reply to his petition challenging the process and the outcome of the February 25, 2023 presidential election.
KanyiDaily recalls that Atiku and PDP are challenging APC’s victory at the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja, stating that Tinubu never won majority of the lawful votes cast in the election.
In his response, Tinubu described the former vice president as a “serial loser” and asked the tribunal to dismiss the petition, contending that Atiiku had no right whatsoever to be returned as a winner of the election having lost successive presidential elections in Nigeria since 1993.
Atiku in a response filed by his lead counsel, Chief Chris Uche (SAN), said he has been able to run for the office of the President of Nigeria since 1993 without any controversy because he is free from drugs and identity scandals, unlike Tinubu.
Atiku stated that unlike Tinubu, his true identity, age, state of origin and educational qualifications have never been in dispute because his life is an open book and nothing about him has been subject of controversy.
Atiku insisted that the declaration of Tinubu as President-elect cannot stand because he holds dual citizenship of Nigeria and Guinea, “having voluntarily acquired the citizenship of the Republic of Guinea”.
Similarly, Atiku accused Tinubu of not disclosing facts of his constitutional qualifications in his Form EC9 submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), contrary to the provisions of the law.
Atiku alleged that Tinubu is unfit to lead Nigeria having been indicted for drug related offences in the United States of America and made to forfeit a sum of $460,000 as a compromise agreement.
Justifying his request for the annulment of the declaration of Tinubu as President-elect, Atiku said Tinubu and APC never won majority of the lawful votes cast in the election, adding that he failed to meet the constitutional requirement of securing 25% of the votes cast in the FCT.
Atiku countered Tinubu’s submission that the PDP is in abuse of court process by maintaining two processes in respect of the February 25 election, following a suit of February 28 by six PDP governors of Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo and Sokoto states challenging the failure of INEC to transmit the results of the elections through the BVAS and IREV as leaving the substance to dwell on extraneous facts, contradictory, evasive, speculative and vague issues.
He said the six states’ suit, which has been discontinued, and his petition are not the same.
KanyiDaily recalls that Atiku Abubakar had assembled 19 senior advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to challenge Bola Tinubu’s victory in the presidential election.
