ABUJA, Nigeria — The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the February 25, 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, and his legal team have raised concerns over the Certified True Copies, CTCs, of the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, that are currently circulating on social media.
These documents bear the watermark of the Tinubu legal team, sparking questions about impartiality and procedural integrity.
Phrank Shaibu, the spokesperson for the Atiku team, issued a statement on Saturday, September 9, 2023, calling for the court to explain why this discrepancy exists.
“It’s curious that there was a delay in providing us with the Certified True Copies of the judgment, and now we find the header of the Respondents on their copies while ours don’t have the same. This raises several questions,” Shaibu said.
The Atiku legal team is demanding immediate answers and clarification, questioning why the PEPC offered the Respondents, particularly the Tinubu Legal Team, first access to the CTCs of the judgment.
This is especially troubling given that the lead counsel to Atiku and the PDP had specifically requested for expedited receipt of the document, as they need to prepare an appeal to the Supreme Court within a statutory 14-day period.
“Nigerians want to know why the Tinubu Legal Team had first custody of copies of the PEPC judgment, even when we needed the document urgently to proceed to the Supreme Court,” Shaibu added.
Questions are also raised about the language and tone used by the PEPC during the ruling, which was described as “vexatious and denigrating.”
“If the court fails to clarify these anomalies, it would validate suspicions of external influence in the judgment and tarnish the reputation of Nigeria’s judiciary,” Shaibu warned.
The Atiku team insists that this legal battle is not just about Atiku Abubakar but a final effort to salvage Nigeria’s democracy and the integrity of its institutions, including the judiciary which is often seen as the last hope of the common man.
“Against the backdrop of the undermining of most state institutions, our goal is to ensure that the judiciary remains unblemished,” Shaibu concluded.
As the legal battle moves to the Supreme Court, the PEPC’s response to these serious allegations will be closely watched by the parties involved and Nigerians who seek a just, transparent, and accountable system.
Further Developments Awaited
With the clock ticking for the Atiku legal team to file their appeal, the onus now rests on the PEPC to offer a compelling explanation for these irregularities, which could otherwise cast a dark shadow on the integrity of Nigeria’s legal system.
The ball is in the court’s court, and Nigerians await their response with bated breath.
