Atiku Plans Appeal Rejects Court’s Verdict, Alleges Lack of Substantial Justice

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has expresses his disappointment in the recent court ruling on the 2023 presidential election and announces plans to appeal.

In a press conference held today, Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 Presidential Candidate for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), officially addressed the judgment handed down by the Presidential Election Petition Court regarding the 2023 presidential election results.

The statement read: “My decision to go to court is anchored in my belief that the court is the sanctuary of justice. The journey of my political career, as you know, holds so much to the courage and fearless decisions of our judiciary. Indeed, I am no stranger to legal battles, and I can say that I have a fair idea of how the court system works.

“All through my career as a politician, I have been a fighter, and I must say that I have found the judiciary as a worthy pillar to rest on in the pursuit of justice. The last presidential election in our country and the way it was managed by the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, leaves behind unenviable precedents, which I believe the courts have a duty to redress. Our gains in ensuring transparent elections through the deployment of technology was heavily compromised by INEC in the way it managed the last presidential election, and I am afraid that the judgement of the court as rendered by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal yesterday, failed to restore confidence in our dreams of free and fair elections devoid of human manipulations. Like I did say at the beginning of this legal battle when I instructed my lawyers to file my petition challenging the outcome of the presidential election, my ultimate goal in this pursuit is to ensure that democracy is further strengthened through the principles and processes of fair hearing.

“I take great pains to tell you that the decision of the court of first instance on this matter utterly falls far short of that expectation. I am therefore here to tell you that, though the judgment of the court yesterday is respected, it is a judgment that I refuse to accept.

“I refuse to accept the judgment because I believe that it is bereft of substantial justice. However, the disappointment in the verdict of the court can never destroy my confidence in the judiciary.

“Consequently, I have asked my lawyers to activate my constitutionally guaranteed rights of appeal to the higher court, which, in the instance, is the Supreme Court. It is my conviction that the electoral process in Nigeria should be devoid of untidy manipulations and that the outcome of every election should be a perfect reflection of the wishes of the electorate.

“I believe that such is the only way through which our democracy can have a manifest expression of its true meaning. Whether I prevail in this quest or not, the record of my effort in ensuring an order of credible elections in Nigeria shall remain for the future generations to evaluate,” he said.

Atiku Abubakar’s urges his supporters to remain steadfast and invoking the wisdom of his late mentor, Shehu Yar’Adua, emphasizing that while they may have lost a battle, the larger war to restore confidence in the electoral system remains ahead.