By KEMI KASUMU
“By that, I meant that the bigger loss would not be mine but Nigeria’s if the Supreme Court legitimizes illegality, including forgery, identity theft, and perjury. If the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, implies by its judgment that crime is good and should be rewarded, then Nigeria has lost and the country is doomed irrespective of who occupies the Presidential seat,” Atiku said.
Exactly 96 hours after the Supreme Court of Nigeria ruled, in a judgment by a panel now criticised by retiring Justice Muhammad Mousa Dattijo, affirming legi6imacy of Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidency, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar reacted to the judg.ent on monday.
The DEFENDER recalls that the apex court had given the ruling with excuses for not looking into the Chicago State University’s academic records of Tinubu and Deposition of same under oath in the United States court of appeal at the same Tinubu’s instance, which clearly implied that the certificate he presented to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to contest for President forged.
At a world press conference in Abuja on Monday, October 30, 2023, Alhaji atiku abunakar, presidential candidate of the leading opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25, 2023 election, said the October 26, 2023 verdict of the Supreme Court, though final, leaves much to be desired.
Atiku insisted that Tinubu, who was candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was not qualified to contest the February 2023 presidential election.
The former Nigeria’s number two most powerful man noted that consequences of the decisions of a court that is the highest level of justice for the country will not end at the expiration of the current government but will last for decades.
He accused the Supreme Court and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of supporting illegality, identity theft, impersonation, forgery of certificates and perjury.
Atiku said when people lose confidence in the electoral process, democracy is on life support.
The PDP had, in its initial reaction to the apex court judgment, said the apex court failed Nigerians by affirming Tinubu as Nigeria’s President.
Atiku and his Labour Party (LP) counterpart, Mr. Peter Obi, had challenged the victory of Tinubu in the last election up to the apex court.
Not satisfied with the verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) earlier in September, Atiku and Obi approached the Supreme Court seeking the nullification of Tinubu’s election on the grounds of double nomination, alleged certificate forgery, non-transmission of results electronically, 25 percent votes in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), amongst others.
However, last Thursday october 26, the Justice John inyang Okoro-led panel of the topmost court threw out all the appeals by Atiku and Obi for what it called lacking in merit. The panel thereafter upheld electoral victory of Tinubu.
“Someone asked me what I would do if I lost my election petition appeal at the Supreme Court. In response, I said that as long as Nigeria wins, the struggle would have been worth the while. By that, I meant that the bigger loss would not be mine but Nigeria’s if the Supreme Court legitimizes illegality, including forgery, identity theft, and perjury.
“If the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, implies by its judgment that crime is good and should be rewarded, then Nigeria has lost and the country is doomed irrespective of who occupies the Presidential seat.
“If the Supreme Court decides that the Electoral umpire, INEC, can tell the public one thing and then do something else in order to reach a corruptly predetermined outcome, then there is really no hope for the country’s democracy and electoral politics.
“Obviously, the consequences of those decisions for the country will not end at the expiration of the current government. They will last for decades. I am absolutely sure that history will vindicate me. We now know what the Supreme Court has decided.
“At critical points in my political life, I always ignored the easy but ignoble path and chosen the difficult but dignified path, the path of truth, of morality, of democracy and rule of law,” Atiku said.
Full speech of Atiku Abubakar at the world press conference:
Being text of a World Press Conference on the Presidential Election Petition Judgement by Atiku Abubakar, GCON, Waziri Adamawa, former Vice President of Nigeria (1999-2007) and Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 Election, at the PDP Headquarters in Abuja on Monday, 30th October, 2023.
Protocol.
Gentlemen of the Press.
Someone asked me what I would do if I lost my election petition appeal at the Supreme Court. In response, I said that as long as Nigeria wins, the struggle would have been worth the while. By that, I meant that the bigger loss would not be mine but Nigeria’s if the Supreme Court legitimizes illegality, including forgery, identity theft, and perjury.
If the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, implies by its judgment that crime is good and should be rewarded, then Nigeria has lost and the country is doomed irrespective of who occupies the Presidential seat. If the Supreme Court decides that the Electoral umpire, INEC, can tell the public one thing and then do something else in order to reach a corruptly predetermined outcome, then there is really no hope for the country’s democracy and electoral politics.
Obviously, the consequences of those decisions for the country will not end at the expiration of the current government. They will last for decades. I am absolutely sure that history will vindicate me. We now know what the Supreme Court has decided.
At critical points in my political life, I always ignored the easy but ignoble path and chosen the difficult but dignified path, the path of truth, of morality, of democracy and rule of law.
I always chose freedom over servitude, whatever the personal discomforts my choice entails. When I joined politics, the critical challenge was easing the military out of power so that civilian democratic governance could be restored in Nigeria. It later became a very defining struggle, and, as one of the leaders of that struggle, I was targeted for elimination.
In one incident, nine policemen guarding my home in Kaduna were murdered in an attempt to assassinate me. I was also forced into exile for nine (9) months. In addition, my interest in a logistics company that I co-owned was confiscated and given to friends of the military government. As Vice President in the civilian government that succeeded the military, I, again at great personal cost, chose to oppose the extension of the tenure of the government beyond the two four-year terms enshrined in our constitution.
In response to the official backlash against me, I instituted several cases in the courts, which led to seven landmark decisions that helped to deepen our democracy and rule of law. At the current historic moment, the easier option for me would have been to fold up and retreat after the mandate banditry perpetrated by the APC and INEC.
But I went to the Nigerian courts to seek redress. I even went to an American court to help with unravelling what our state institutions charged with such responsibilities were unwilling or unable to do, including unravelling the qualifying academic records of the person sworn in as our President and by implication, hopefully who he really is.
I offered that evidence procured with the assistance of the American Court to our Supreme Court to help it to do justice in this case. I give this background to underscore that what we are currently dealing with is bigger than one or two presidential elections and is certainly bigger than Atiku Abubakar. It is not about me; it is about our country, Nigeria. It is about the kind of society we want to leave for the next generation and what kind of example we want to set for our children and their children.
