The Presidency has maintained that Bola Tinubu’s victory in the recently concluded presidential election as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) stands and cannot be nullified.
It stated that notwithstanding allegations of irregularities and strong criticism of the Independent National Election Commission, INEC, the results of the presidential and National Assembly elections held on February 25 stand unless proven differently in court.
It ruled out the idea of annulling the presidential elections, as was done on June 12, 1993, and advised disgruntled opposition candidates to seek redress in court.
Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President for Media and Publicity, revealed this in an article highlighting key insights from the President’s recent trip to Doha, Qatar, for the 5th United Nations meeting on least developed countries.
He stated that President Muhammadu Buhari remained reticent in the face of INEC’s criticism from “wishful thinkers” because he had determined a long time ago not to take any action that would compromise the electoral process.
“After the cacophony, President Buhari not only silenced himself but also increased his worldwide trips.
“The election of Bola Tinubu stands. Go to court if you are aggrieved and have the right to do so,” the statement added.
The Presidency stated that in the lead-up to Buhari’s journey to Qatar, he faced concerted efforts to poison public opinion against national institutions, particularly the presidential election and its conduct by INEC as an institution, which were the targets of ugly and baseless charges.
According to Shehu, the intention was to create an atmosphere of dread, polarize the populace, and demonize the President’s government.
“Wishful thinking appeared to believe that the election crisis of June 12, 1993, the worst since the Civil War, could be repeated.
“Those who attempted to do so forgot what the President said at the Gbong-Gwon Palace in Jos when he visited the city to launch the Tinubu-Shettima campaign.
He stated, “This election will not be voided; the winner will become president.”
The presidential spokesman reiterated Buhari’s multiple statements to world leaders in Qatar regarding the transfer of power on May 29, 2023.
Before the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, was declared the winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) demanded the cancellation of the election, citing irregularities.
At a news conference held in Abuja on Monday, February 27, the vice presidential candidates of the PDP and LP, Ifeanyi Okowa and Yusuf Datti, respectively, called for new elections across the country.
They claimed that INEC failed to submit results electronically from the BVAS to the iREV platform as soon as they were compiled at the voting stations.
Nonetheless, the Commission continued with the count, which resulted in Tinubu’s election as president-elect with over eight million votes.
