Atiku’s Mandate: Nigerians Looking Up to Judiciary for Justice, Says PDP

Chuks Okocha in Abuja 

Ahead of the September 13 judgement of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said Nigerians are now anxiously looking up to the judiciary to have the courage to do justice in the petition brought before the tribunal by its candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

The party in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan said: “The general expectation pervading the nation across the board is that the judiciary, as the last hope of the common man, will be dauntless in addressing the substance of the petition by the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the collective quest to retrieve a stolen mandate through the legal process.”

Ologbondiyan, who also received a Coalition of Young Professionals in Abuja, on a solidarity visit to its National Secretariat in Abuja, urged Nigerians not to lose faith in the country and its democracy.

He said: “As a party, we have made a solid case before the panel. Our candidate, Atiku Abubakar, had also presented his case supported by credible evidence. We had presented incontrovertible evidence to show that our presidential mandate was stolen. Every Nigerian now looks on to the judicial officers for justice. Nigerians are waiting and hoping that the judiciary will have the courage to do justice in the presidential election petition.”

He further added: “In the face of the anguish, pains, calamitous events, bloodletting, strong division, resentment, insecurity, acute hunger and starvation crippling our country, Nigerians’ only hope is now in the judiciary to save our nation by addressing the substance of the petition by Atiku and the PDP.

“Our party urges Nigerians not to lose hope in their nation because we have no other country to call our own; even the judicial officers are also Nigerians, so we must keep hope alive believing, that like I said earlier, the judiciary will consider the substance of the matter and the evidence before it.”

The PDP thanked Nigerians across the board for the solidarity and support in the struggle and assured of its determination to pursue the cause to a logical conclusion.

According to Ologbondiyan, “Our party has continued to receive immense support from Nigerians from all walks of lives on this struggle and even in the diaspora. This is one cause that has united Nigerians, irrespective of ethnicity, creed and political leaning.” 

 “We have been receiving outpouring of overwhelming solidarity from well-meaning Nigerians, including key professional groups, youth groups, drivers of key sectors of our economy, market women, traditional, faith-based and community leaders, as well as patriotic individuals within the APC, who abhor the manipulations of their party and INEC in stealing our Presidential mandate. We believe that justice will be served at the end of the day as the singular way to move our nation forward.”

Earlier at the meeting, the Convener of the Coalition, Alhaji Shehu Abubakar Magaji, commended the leadership of the party for effectively mobilising Nigerians in the 2019 general elections in the collective quest to rescue the nation from the misrule of the APC.

He assured that Nigerians are “solidly behind the PDP and Atiku Abubakar in the efforts to reclaim the Presidential mandate through the courts.”