Tinubu scoffs at Atiku in court as filing a ‘frivolous’ petition
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Bola Tinubu has argued at the tribunal that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has lost his bids to rule Nigeria since 1993 and is, therefore, not fit to challenge his declaration as President-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Before the election this year, Atiku had failed five times in his run for President – 1993, 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019. Unless he wins his current case in court, he will become a six-time also ran.
Tinubu told Atiku not to see his loss at the February 25 presidential election as strange because it would have been a miracle for him to win on the backdrop of the crisis in the PDP before and during the ballot.
This was Tinubu’s response on Thursday to the petition Atiku and the PDP filed at the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT) domiciled at the Court of Appeal, seeking to be declared the winner of the vote or for the court to order a rerun.
He insisted Atiku has no stable political platform and has lost majority of his key supporters because of his habit of jumping from party to party.
Tinubu said Atiku’s emergence as PDP presidential candidate fueled the crisis in the party, resulting in five of its sitting Governors resolving to work against him and ensure he lost.
Tinubu’s response was filed by his team of lawyers led by Wole Olanipekun, SAN.
__________________________________________________________________
Related articles:
Tinubu boasts Atiku will lose for the 6th time in 2023, then he will retire him to Dubai
Atiku accuses Yakubu of rigging election for Tinubu to undermine democracy
Naja’atu’s allegation of Buhari rigging election for Tinubu irks APC
__________________________________________________________________
Atiku’s petition frivolous, says Tinubu
Tinubu described Atiku’s petition as both frivolous and an abuse of court process, per Channels Television.
In his view, the PDP having earlier filed a suit at the Supreme Court, through some of its Governors, demanding the cancellation of the election cannot maintain two cases on the same issue in different courts at the same time.
He noted that on February 28, the PDP through its Governors in Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, and Sokoto filed a suit at the Supreme Court demanding, among others, that the presidential election be cancelled.
He also faulted the competence of the petition on the grounds that Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) were excluded despite the fact the petitioners are contesting the results from the states won by the LP and NNPP.
Atiku and the PDP complained about the results in Abia, Anambra, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Kano, Plateau, and Lagos – states where Tinubu was not declared winner.
Tinubu insisted he cannot be made to defend an infraction allegedly committed in any of these states.
His legal team ended the response with a query on Atiku’s petition about election results in states where he or Obi won, including but not limited to Adamawa, Bauchi, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Gombe, Yobe, Sokoto, Osun, Kebbi, and Katsina – without making them co-respondents to the petition.
The team said “whereas, under Section 133(2) of the Electoral Act, 2022, a party whose election is being challenged shall be made a respondent.”