The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has called on former Vice President and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 presidential poll, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to accept the verdict of Nigerians and the affirmation of the Supreme Court of President Muhammadu Buhari’s victory at the poll, as a true democrat.
In a statement issued yesterday by the spokesman of the forum, Alhaji Muhammad Ibrahim, the forum also appealed to President Buhari to be magnanimous in victory and invite the opposition to join hands in building a peaceful and prosperous Nigeria.
“The challenges of elections through the due process of the democratic institution is part of strengthening of our democracy.
“ACF once again call on Alhaji Atiku as a true democrat to accept the verdict of Nigerians and the affirmation of the Supreme Court of President Muhammadu Buhari victory at the 2019 polls.
“ACF also appeal to President Buhari to be magnanimous in victory and invite the opposition to join hands in building a peaceful and prosperous Nigeria.”
PDP Expresses Shock over Verdict
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed shock at the judgment of the Supreme Court on the presidential election petition filed by the party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
In a statement by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the main opposition party said, “indeed, what we witnessed today was not what majority of Nigerians, who participated and observed the Presidential election expected; and this includes even members of the APC.
The PDP argued that it indeed made a solid case, with undisputable evidence, showing that Atiku won the presidential election, adding that it was surprised that the justices of the Supreme Court held otherwise.
The main opposition party, however, acknowledged that the apex court is the highest court of the land.
The party added that “the distinction of its case remains for Nigerians, including generations yet unborn, to appreciate”.
PDP expressed gratitude to millions of Nigerians across board for voting Atiku in the election as well as for their unflinching support for the party during the election and throughout the duration of court proceedings.
Read Also: Supreme Court Hears Atiku’s Appeal Against Buhari Wednesday
Judgment Another Landmark, Says Sanwo-Olu
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu in his congratulatory message to President Muhammadu Buhari described the judgment as “yet another landmark” in the country’s annals.
The governor said he received the news with “great joy”, noting that the Supreme Court’s judgment had not only consolidated the nation’s democracy but also further strengthened the citizens’ belief in the judicial process.
Sanwo-Olu, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, said the APC’s victory at the apex court affirmed the will of majority of Nigerians, stressing that the judgment averted the danger of returning the country to the period of plague, which, the governor said, defined the PDP’s “16 years of misrule”.
“With great joy in my heart, I have received the news of the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari and my great party, All Progressives Congress (APC), at the Supreme Court today. This is yet another landmark judgment that will enrich our democratic and political processes.
“The judgment is a great relief for all Nigerians after a period of fierce contest and bickering that marred the last general elections. The Supreme Court has not only upheld the choice of a greater number of Nigerians who chose APC and the President at the polls, it has also affirmed our belief in the judiciary as impartial arbiter whose pronouncements have strengthened our democracy in a great leap.”
APC Hails Verdict
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has hailed the Supreme Court’s dismissal of the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar against President Muhammadu Buhari’s victory.
The party in a statement issued by its spokesman by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, said that following the earlier judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, which dismissed in its entirety the PDP and Atiku’s petition, the apex court was apt in dismissing the appeal for lacking merit.
He stressed that with the ruling of the Supreme Court, which has finally affirmed Buhari’s election victory, the PDP and Atiku should jettison their disruptive agenda against Nigeria, which he allegedSS that they wanted to pursue in the next four years.
