Tinubu Rejects One-Party State Allegations, Responds To Atiku

The Presidency on Monday, has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, of levying “wild and libelous allegations” against President Bola Tinubu and the judiciary.

These allegations, stemming from recent court judgments against PDP governors, were labeled as a desperate effort to undermine Nigeria’s democratic institutions.

The PDP and Atiku Abubakar raised concerns about the judiciary’s integrity after recent court rulings resulted in the removal of some governors affiliated with the party in various states.

According to Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the PDP and Atiku have chosen to blame external factors rather than reflect on their electoral setbacks.

He dismissed claims that Tinubu interfered with the judiciary during his tenure as Lagos State Governor and refuted the idea of Tinubu planning to impose a one-party state.

“The PDP and former Vice President and his spokesman have become overtly desperate to hang their woes on President Tinubu and the judiciary,” Onanuga remarked in a signed statement late Monday, titled, ‘PDP, Atiku raising false alarm.”

Onanuga emphasized that the PDP and Atiku have neglected introspection, instead choosing to blame external forces for their electoral shortcomings

He rejected the PDP’s allegations that, during his tenure as Lagos State Governor, Tinubu stifled opposition and influenced the judiciary. Additionally, he accused the PDP of trying to destabilize Nigeria’s political landscape.

“While we do not hold brief for the judiciary, we urge Nigerians to discountenance the malicious allegations by the PDP and its candidate that President Tinubu as governor of Lagos, silenced the opposition and corrupted the judiciary and that he is planning to foist a one-party state on the country by appointing “loyalists” as Resident Electoral Commissioners.

“President Tinubu is a Democrat to the core. We make bold to say that as president, he has not interfered with the judgment of the judiciary,” said Onanuga.

Dismissing the idea that Tinubu meddled with judicial proceedings, he pointed to cases where PDP candidates prevailed over All Progressives Congress candidates in both Supreme and Appeal courts, emphasizing Tinubu’s dedication to democracy and the rule of law.

Onanuga argued “We had witnessed how under his watch, the PDP governor in Osun defeated the APC at the Supreme Court.

“Similarly, the PDP governor in Bauchi also won his case in the Appeal Court, beating the APC.”

He emphasized that Tinubu has no plans to institute a one-party state, refuting the repeated allegations made by Atiku and echoed by both his party and spokesperson.

“These allegations are deliberately aimed at unnecessarily heating the polity and causing disenchantment in our country.

“They exist only in the imagination of the PDP and the former vice-president,” the statement read

The statement also contrasted Tinubu’s democratic credentials with those of Abubakar, accusing the latter of electoral misconduct in the past.

It read, “Unlike Atiku Abubakar, President Tinubu’s record as a Democrat par excellence and a strong advocate of the rule of law has been globally acknowledged.

“In contrast, it is on record that Atiku Abubakar recently confessed about the electoral heist his party executed in the South West in 2003 which Tinubu survived out of the six governors of the defunct Alliance for Democracy.”

The Presidency cited a case in 2019 when the court ruled against the APC in Zamfara State, arguing that Atiku and PDP ought not to be “crying wolf” over the Appeal Court’s rulings on governorship polls in Plateau, Zamfara, and Nasarawa States

Therefore it highlighted the PDP’s inconsistency, emphasizing their earlier commendation of court rulings in their favor, contrasted with their current criticism of the judiciary for decisions not in their favor.

Onanuga appealed to the PDP and Atiku to halt their “campaign of calumny” against the judiciary, emphasizing that legal judgments are based on law and evidence, not personal sentiments.

Kanyi Daily recalls that the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Ganduje, had said that presidential candidates Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi should consider contesting in the 2031 elections.