It has been reported that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2019 polls, Atiku Abubakar, has challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to disprove his “factual” submission that the February 23 presidential election was fraught with irregularities.
Atiku, in a statement by his media aide, Paul Ibe, yesterday, said the fact that the APC chose to base its defence at the Election Petition Tribunal on the claim that Atiku is not a Nigerian is an admission that they trampled on the will of the people during the presidential poll, adding that the tribunal would treat the citizenship claim with the contempt “it deserves”.
The statement read in part: “His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar told us previously that he has verifiable and incontrovertible evidence to show that the last presidential election was fraudulent, not credible and did not reflect the will of the Nigerian people, and he has been vindicated by the response of the All Progressives Congress and its candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari, to his petition to the Electoral Tribunal hearing the petition he filed.
“The former Vice President based his case on facts and statistical evidence and challenged both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the APC to disprove his factual submissions.
“The fact that the APC chose to base its defence on the ridiculous assertion that the Waziri Adamawa is not a Nigerian should show to Nigerians the type of characters we have in the APC and its government, whose legitimacy runs out on May 29, 2019.
“The position of the APC is so pedestrian and shows such straw clutching desperation on their part, that I shall not dignify it with an answer. Our lawyers would, of course, do the needful in court. But the point I want to draw the attention of Nigerians to is that
both the APC and its candidate have by this infantile logic admitted to the fact that they trampled on the will of Nigerians and that their only defence is to attempt an unconstitutional redefinition of the term ‘Nigerian’.
“I am, however, confident in the Nigerian judiciary, as well as in the Nigerian people. I trust that the Tribunal will treat such a claim with the contempt it deserves.”
Recall that the National Working Committee, NWC, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said no amount of fabrications, attempt at set-up, veiled and open threats by the All Progressives Congress, APC-led Federal Government would stop its
Presidential candidate in the 2019 election, Atiku Abubakar from reclaiming his mandate at the tribunal. The party rejected in its entirety, “the declaration by the Presidency that Atiku Abubakar is “lucky to be walking free,” adding that such a statement was
inciting and “brings to the fore the unwholesome intention of the APC-led administration against Atiku Abubakar for seeking to retrieve his stolen mandate at the court.”
This came as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said it had filed its response to Atiku’s petition and others. Thursday was the deadline for the INEC and APC to file their responses. It was not clear, at press time, if the APC had complied as National Publicity Secretary of the party, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu did not pick his calls.
Source: Sun News Online/All Africa
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