The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar has said the judgment of the Supreme Court on Friday is not a “setback to his quest for justice”.
The former Vice President expressed confidence in the petition he and his party, the PDP, filed at the Presidential Elections Petition Tribunal in Abuja, challenging the ‘victory’ of the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu in the election.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the Supreme Court dismissed a suit filed by the PDP seeking the disqualification of Nigeria’s ‘President-elect’ Tinubu and ‘Vice President-elect’ Kashim Shettima.
The PDP had filed a suit seeking the disqualification of Tinubu and Shettima as presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The apex court’s ruling was over the alleged double nomination of Shettima during the 2023 general election.
But a five-member panel of the apex court on Friday held that the PDP is not a member of the APC and therefore lacked the locus standi to institute the suit.
Justice Adamu Jauro who read the judgement described the PDP’s action as meddlesome in the internal affair of the APC, which it is not part of.
The apex court also awarded a sum of two million naira (N2 million) against the PDP.
The court, therefore, dismissed the case for lack of merit, noting that a political party cannot challenge the internal action of another party.
But reacting to the ruling of the apex court, Atiku said he was not ready to walk away from the battle for democracy and the enthronement of a new order.
He said, “The Supreme Court's dismissal of the case of the @OfficialPDPNig is not a setback to my quest for justice. Our legal team are primed to robustly prove that the election of February 25 was fraudulent, did not comply with the constitutional requirements and the electoral guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission, @inecnigeria, and that the announced winner was not even qualified to contest the poll.
“The battle for democracy and the enthronement of a new order to spur growth and development in Nigeria is one to which I have committed my all and for which I am not ready to walk away at this point when our nation is at crossroads.
“We know that sooner than later, our esteemed Justices will make the pronouncement that will serve as a befitting requiem for mandate bandits.
“I urge my supporters to exercise patience and conduct themselves peaceably as we diligently conduct our litigation at the Presidential Election Tribunal Court.”