……. Says legal team ready to substantiate fraud claims .
By Chiwendu
Former Vice President and candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the just concluded 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar has said that the Supreme Court’s dismissal of the suit challenging the alleged double nomination of the Vice President- elect, Kashim Shettima would not deter him from pursuing his quest for justice.
Atiku’s reaction came hours after a five member panel of Justices of the Apex court delivered judgement on the case on Friday. Atiku’s party, the Peoples Democratic Party PDP had claimed that Shettima was the candidate of the All Progressives Congress APC for Borno Central when he accepted the nomination for the position of vice president.
But delivering the judgement, Justice Adamu Jauro” held that Shettima committed no crime as there was no double nomination
The court said that Shettima who had earlier been nominated by his party as a Senatorial Candidate was given another option to be the party’s vice presidential candidate.
According to the court, he accepted the second option with the intention of relinquishing the first first nomination as senatorial candidate
” The party nominated another person to replace him. His prompt and diligent withdrawal as senatorial candidate demonstrates plainly that he had no intentions designed or plans to hold two nominations – the fact that he withdrew after being nominated as vice president is of no mention.
” Multiple nominations with the electoral act does not occur simply because he accepted a second nomination, the fact that the acceptance was immediately relinquished so as to pave way for another person to replace him as senatorial candidate cannot be overlooked or disregarded.
“We have to be very careful the way we read provisions of facts particularly when they are public interest issues and for presidential requirements where it is broad knowledge where it is very clear that the purpose of the statutory provision is to avoid a situation where the person holds two nominations to have an election as a candidate either in two constituencies or political parties.
” The purpose of that provision is to avoid the situation but where a person has clearly said ‘ no I don’t want; and relinquishes one,I do not think it will be acting in good faith to jump on him and infer something else.
” Above all, there was no double nomination. So it is very wrong to contend that the vice presidential candidate had a double nomination.”
However, Atiku said the court judgement not withstanding,he would not back in his pursuit for justice.
Taking to his verified Twitter account the former vice president maintained that the February 25 Presidential election was fraudulent as it breached constitutional guidelines and INEC guidelines adding that his lawyers are prepared to substantiate their claim on the election.
His Tweet:
“The Supreme Court’s dismissal of the @OfficialPDPNig case is not a setback in my quest for justice. Our legal team is ready to vigorously demonstrate that the election held on February 25th was fraudulent, in violation of constitutional requirements and @inecnigeria’s guidelines, and that the proclaimed victor was unqualified to contest the election.
The battle for democracy and the establishment of a new order to stimulate Nigeria’s growth and development is one to which I am fully committed. I am not prepared to step away at this critical juncture when our nation stands at a crossroads. We trust that our respected Justices will soon deliver the pronouncement that will serve as a fitting requiem for those who manipulate mandates.
I urge my supporters to exercise patience and maintain peaceful conduct as we diligently pursue our litigation at the Presidential Election Tribunal Court.”
