Supreme Court Has Shaken Nigerians Confidence – PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the Supreme Court verdict affirming President Bola Tinubu’s victory in February 2023 is disappointing and “thrashed” the expectations of Nigerians.

VerseNews understands that Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and Labour Party (LP)’s Peter Obi had appealed the verdict of the Presidential Election Petitions Court (PEPC) which upheld Tinubu’s election victory.

But the apex court on Thursday dismissed their appeals, saying they lacked merit.

In the wake of the judgment, the main opposition PDP described it as disappointing, according to a statement from its spokesman Debo Ologunagba.

“The PDP and indeed the majority of Nigerians are alarmed, disappointed, and gravely concerned with the reasoning of the Supreme Court which the PDP believes is against the express provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2022, the Guideline and Regulation issued by INEC under which the election was conducted,” the statement read.

“The PDP asserts that it is indeed a sad commentary for our democracy that the Supreme Court failed to uphold the provisions of the law. Instead, it trashed the expectation of the majority of Nigerians who looked up to it as a Temple of Impartiality to deliver substantial justice in the matter having regard to the laws and facts of the case.”

It accused the Supreme Court of condoning “serious issues of forgery, falsehood and perjury on the altar of technicalities.

“This judgment by the Supreme Court has evidently shaken the confidence of Nigerians in the judiciary, especially the Supreme Court as the last hope of the common man,” the PDP said.

It, however, urged “Nigerians not to be discouraged or allow the judgment to detract from their collective quest for the entrenchment of a credible electoral system”.