Atiku criticises Economist Intelligence Unit for being ‘a merchant purchased by the APC’
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Atiku Abubakar has raised objection to the prediction by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) that the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) will not cancel the election of Bola Tinubu whom his opponents insist has a “stolen mandate” and is a “fake” President.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate and Peter Obi of the Labour (LP) are challenging Tinubu’s election at the PEPC, which has slated August 1 to begin hearing final addresses from the petitioners and respondents.
Atiku said in a statement he issued through his Media Aide Paul Ibe that he has studied the report by the EIU and sees it as an “embarrassment to the think tank body.”
EIU projected Tinubu would win the election on February 25 and has predicted in its latest report that Obi would emerge a formidable force in 2027.
“What is also obvious in the report is that it is a merchant purchased by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to confuse the country in an uphill task to defend the sham election of February 25, which only retained the ruling party in office,” the statement said.
“Notwithstanding the preponderance of salient issues raised on the credibility of the so-called election by local and foreign observers, it is disappointing that the EIU would condescend to ballot laundering for the ruling party in the most populous black country.”
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A government ‘begging for legitimacy’
“While we wish to express our intention to apply cautious restraint in responding to the EIU on this disgraceful outing, let this be considered as a stern warning to the body to respect Nigeria’s democracy and the institution of our judiciary, and that next time, they should be more circumspect before they jump on any trade by barter jaundiced reports about Nigeria,” Ibe added, according to Arise TV.
“However, to the APC that is going cap in hand begging for legitimacy at all impossible places, we wish to remind them of a popular local proverb that: ‘he who steals a drum from the palace carries the unenviable burden of where to beat it.’
A “government that goes around to buy anything at sight to award legitimacy unto itself leaves much to the imagination of the people.
“Tinubu and his team of lawyers had all the opportunity at the court to present his case of legitimacy before the parties closed their cases at the election petition tribunal.
“But rather than explore that opportunity, his lawyers were busy signing counter motions on subpoenas that seek to shed more light on his personal information.
“We therefore consider it a breach of due process anything that is being done outside the walls of the court that seeks to make short circuited testimony about the outcome of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.”