Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to compromise the judiciary. After the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Bola Tinubu, the candidate of the APC, as the winner of the presidential election, Atiku and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) are challenging Tinubu’s victory at the tribunal, seeking to have the outcome of the poll invalidated.
Part of the grounds for the challenge is Tinubu’s alleged failure to secure at least 25 percent of votes cast in the federal capital territory (FCT). However, Tinubu’s counsel argued that the FCT should be considered as the 37th state for electoral purposes to avoid absurdity and chaos.
In response, Atiku’s media adviser, Paul Ibe, issued a statement accusing the APC and Tinubu’s agents of trying to obstruct justice by making threats that could lead to anarchy if justice is not served according to their desires. Atiku claimed that the APC is plotting to intimidate the judiciary and harass the judges involved in the petition, calling on the international community to be aware of the situation.
The statement further referenced previous incidents of judiciary intimidation by the APC, such as accusations of corruption against judges, which resulted in suspensions but failed to lead to any convictions. The media adviser also mentioned the controversial removal of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) in 2019 and his replacement by Tanko Muhammad, who was later accused of corruption by his colleagues at the Supreme Court and resigned.
Atiku’s statement warned of a fresh plot by the APC to influence the judges and manipulate the election tribunal to secure favorable judgments. The media adviser called on the international community and Nigerians to be vigilant against any attempts to steal the mandate of the Nigerian people.