Atiku mulls legal action to retrieve stolen mandate in a ‘battle of no retreat, no surrender’
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Atiku Abubakar says he plans to challenge in court the declaration of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the presidential ballot held on 25 February by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Atiku, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), issued a statement in Abuja through the party’s Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) spokesman, Dino Melaye, which described Tinubu’s victory as “grave injustice.”
“A clarion call on all Atiku’s supporters all over the world not to be perturbed. Weeping may tarry till night but joy cometh in the morning.
“This grave injustice shall not stand. The battle to retrieve our stolen mandate is a battle of no retreat, no surrender. We shall overcome,” the statement said, per The PUNCH.
INEC Chairman Yakubu Mahmoud at 4.10am on Wednesday announced Tinubu as President-elect, after polling 8,794,726 votes to defeat his closest rival, Atiku, who got 6,984,520 votes and Labour Party (LP) candidate Peter Obi (6,101,533).
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Related articles:
INEC declares Tinubu presidential election winner amid legal questions
Atiku shocks Tinubu, beats him in Buhari’s State, Katsina
Confusion over failure of Tinubu, Atiku to meet 25% in FCT
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PDP rejects election result in Sokoto
Channels Television reports that in Sokoto, state PDP Chairman Aliyu Goronyo rejected the result of the presidential election alleging the process was marred by unprecedented violence.
He said the party cannot accept the result of an election where over 300,000 eligible voters across more than 470 polling units were not allowed to vote by sponsored thugs who disrupted the process.
Goronyo insisted the security agencies failed to provide adequate security and in some instances colluded with the perpetrators of violence to deny the people their right to elect candidate of their choice.