By Nengi GREEN
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the last general elections, Atiku Abubakar, has urged the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal, PEPC, to do justice, “rather let the heavens fall.”
Atiku in his final written address through his lead counsel, Chris Uche SAN, also accused the APC candidate and eventual winner, President Bola Tinubu, of magisterial arrogance over his petition before the PEPC.
According to him, Tinubu’s response to his petition as contained in his final written address reflects “a complete misconception and unfortunate misunderstanding, notwithstanding the magisterial arrogance, condescending cynicism and overbearing misanthropy with which he has sought to trivialise the petitioners’ case.
“Furthermore, a subtle threat of apocalyptic catastrophe of national chaos and anarchy if judgement is not given in a particular manner cannot deter a court of law from doing justice. The court must do justice ‘rather let the heavens fall’.”
Tinubu had warned the PEPC that misinterpreting the law as provided for in the constitution on the25% of lawful votes cast in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, could “lead to absurdity, chaos, anarchy and alteration of the very intention of the legislature.”
The president in his final written address against the petitions of the PDP and LP stated that the petitions of his opponents failed to prove alleged non-compliance and therefore put his actual votes scored at 8,800,369.
Atiku in his address cited the case of Amaechi vs INEC and others (2008) LPELR-446(SC) (Pp.67-68 paras. D), where the Justice Oguntade said, “I must do justice even if the heavens fall. The truth of course is that when justice has been done, the heavens stay in place.”
He further submitted that Tinubu called only one witness, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, to speak on his qualification and admitted that “the name of 2nd respondent (Tinubu) is the subject of the US forfeiture judgement admitted by the court as Exhibit PBF1. He admitted that the 2nd respondent (Tinubu) did not score 25 percent of the votes cast in the FCT in the election. The 3rd respondent (APC) did not call any witness in defence of the petition, thereby abandoning its pleadings.”
The PDP candidate further observed that despite the uniqueness of the new election management regime, INEC failed to call even one witness or person who “operated any aspect of the technological system including the IReV to give evidence or to even explain the nebulous ‘technical glitches.”
The Presidency and Atiku have been sparring over the elections with the former describing as ‘laughable’ and ‘jejune’ a statement credited to Atiku that the judiciary was under threat and blackmail.
While urging Atiku to display statesmanship by allowing the judiciary to carry out its sacred duty without interference or harassment, the Presidency said that the “attempt to undermine a vital state institution for personal political gain is dishonest, disgraceful, and not befitting of a former Vice President of Nigeria, saying this level of desperation must come to an end.”
