BY EDMOND ODOK, ABUJA – Still in celebration mood over the Tribunal’s judgment on the February 23, 2019 Presidential polls, National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has laughed off the election petition by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Comrade Oshiomhole said there is nothing to prevent the opposition from still coming out losers even if the World Court or Supreme Court is to hear their appeal challenging the Tribunal’s ruling on the polls.
He said given the water-tight case as exposited at the Tribunal, President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC will undoubtedly emerge victorious wherever the opposition party and its candidate may take their case to eventually.
Comrade Oshiomhole expressed confidence there will be no surprises from the Supreme Court since it will rely substantially on the unanimous judgment by the Appeal Court justices.
The Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT) had on Wednesday, September 11, 2019. delivered judgment in favour of APC and President Buhari as winner of February 2019 poll.
Speaking with State House correspondents when he accompanied APC women leaders from the national, zonal and 36 states to visit President Buhari, the APC National Chairman said; “As a party, we are confident that if it is within the Nigerian law for PDP to go even to the World Court, we will meet them there.
“The Supreme Court of Nigeria is not that of PDP or the APC. The Supreme Court is governed by laws and is to interpret the evidence before the court of Appeal. They are not at liberty to introduce new issues neither can they bring in new witnesses.
“So, if it is what I heard yesterday which I believe you also heard, thanks to the media, most Nigerians were detained for eight hours listening to arguments of the judges one after the other. Even though we thought it was getting longer and longer but we realised that they tried to deal with the issues raised, even the ones you and I as a layman will consider it consequential, they dealt with each of them, trashed them and arrived at a conclusion.
“So, I don’t want to sound arrogant. Yesterday (Wednesday), I said that I hope this whole contestation is about Nigeria who actually won the election and both parties are committed to building Nigeria and is not about who should be given the key.”
According to Comrade Oshiomhole, “Now, this has been resolved and it is time to queue behind the winner and move on. Our winner is the best example that losing election is not tantamount to the end of your political life. He lost three and today he is the president.
“But, when I see the arrogance with which they pronounce and they bring what I call television lawyers, who pronounced with some managerial finality as if they are judges even without any evidence before them, let me now say authoritatively, we are now ready to meet them.
“President Buhari is now ready to meet defeated Atiku Abubakar at the Supreme Court and the APC is ready to meet the PDP at the Supreme Court and Adams Oshiomhole is ready to meet my brother Secondus at the Supreme Court and he will take second and I will take first, Isha Allah.”
The former Edo State governor, who insisted that the party does not have any doubt about its victory, said the PDP is desperately blackmailing every institution in a bid to have its candidate become the president at all cost even without the will of Nigerian people.
For him, it is regrettable that both the PDP and its presidential candidate reduced the election to social media speculations and extracting from predictable sources commentaries that are laughable even at beer parlour conversations.
Leading the APC women leaders to the Presidential Villa to congratulate Mr President on his victory at the election tribunal was Hajia Salamatu Umar-Eluma,
The women also said their visit was to thank President Buhari for appointing seven women among the 43 ministers recently sworn into the Federal Cabinet.
