Presidential candfidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25, 2023, general elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has urged his supporters and Nigerians not to despair over the inauguration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President next Monday, May 29.
In a statement released, on Tuesday, Atiku Abubakar, expressed his lack of concern regarding the inauguration of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as President-elect on May 29th, despite ongoing petitions challenging the validity of his election victory.
Atiku has constistently expressed his optimism in reclaiming his mandate in court.
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Atiku is currently challenging the declaration of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Tinubu, as the winner of the presidential election held on February 25.
He clarified that the swearing-in ceremony on May 29 was merely a formality and did not limit the court’s jurisdiction in any way.
In a statement delivered by his lead counsel, Chief Chris Uche SAN, following the consolidation of his petition with those filed by Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Atiku asserted that the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, sitting in Abuja, possesses the authority to remove Tinubu from his position, even after his inauguration.
As the full-blown hearing on the three merged petitions was set to commence on May 30, a day after Tinubu’s presidential inauguration, the PDP candidate, represented by his team of lawyers, made a statement.
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According to the speaker, the act of taking an oath binds the individual who takes the oath rather than the court. The court has issued a timeline for the parties involved to present their case. According to Atiku’s lawyer, Chris Uche, the development has brought happiness as it would lead to the speedy determination of the petitions.
During Tuesday’s presentation of the pre-hearing report, Justice Haruna Tsammani and the five-member panel approved Atiku’s plea for a three-week extension to provide evidence via 100 witnesses.
In a joint petition with the PDP, Atiku has contested the validity of Tinubu’s presidential election win, citing non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022. The petition is marked as CA/PEPC/05/2023. According to sources, there are claims that Tinubu’s election may have been invalid due to alleged corrupt practises. The individual in question has reportedly argued this point.