Court Case: BCO Writes EU, US; Afenifere, Ohaneze, NCF And PANDEF Back Atiku

By Uche Mbah

The Buhari Campaign Organization, BCO, has written to the International Community-specifically the European Union, the United States and the United Kingdom urging them to prevail on the Presidential Candidate of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, not to go to Court over the 2019 Presidential Poll. Writing separate letters to EU, US and UK through their consulates and High Commissions in Nigeria, the group said the International Community should emulate former President Goodluck Jonathan who conceded defeat without going to Court.

“We are writing to inform you of the undemocratic tendencies of the presidential candidate of the main opposition party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, who has chosen to take the electoral process in Nigeria backward after a peaceful and credible presidential and National Assembly elections conducted penultimate Saturday”, they wrote. “In spite of reports by foreign observers acknowledging the polls as free, fair and peaceful, the opposition party and its candidate have chosen to discredit the entire process and make the Observation Missions look as if they are biased in their assessment of the just concluded presidential poll. Apart from blatantly refusing to congratulate the winner of the said poll, President Muhammadu Buhari, the PDP and its candidate have taken the battle to court apparently to cause distractions with a view to slowing down the wheels of governance in the country. The PDP is still inciting the Nigerian public against the government of the day irrespective of the fact that President Buhari had been magnanimous in victory. He has pledged to run an all-inclusive government and has even urged us, his supporters, not to gloat or humiliate the opposition, an enjoinder we have adhered strictly to the letter. We deem it fit to draw your attention to this brazen attempt to frustrate the democratic process hoping that you will intervene by calling the PDP and its presidential candidate to order and ensure that the tenets of democracy are adhered to in the ongoing electoral process in Nigeria. Atiku should follow former President Goodluck Jonathan’s example. Nobody’s life should be sacrificed for any politician’s ambition. He should abide by the agreement signed by all presidential candidates with the National Peace Committee to accept the results of the just concluded presidential poll in good faith.”

Former President Goodluck Jonathan called Muhamadu Buhari to concede defeat in the wake of the 2015 presidential elections. He never went to court to challenge the results.

In a related development, the ethnic Nationalities has endorsed the intention of the former Vice President to go to court over the 2019 presidential election.

The Ohaneze Ndigbo led by Nnia Nwodo, Aenifere led by Ayo Adebanjo, Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF led by Edwin Clark, AND Northern Elders forum, NEF led by Ango Abdullahi, all rejected the election of President Mohammadu Buhari .

In a joint communiqué, the group urged Atiku to exhaust the entire democratic process by challenging the results in the courts as provided for in the Constitution.

“The Forum commends the statesmanship and commitment to the democratic process of the PDP candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, GCON, Wazirin Adamawa, to exhaust the entire democratic process by challenging the results in the courts as provided for in the constitution”, the group said. “We see his decision as patriotic, responsible and ultimately the highest contribution to the democratic system. Some other person would by now be soaking ‘baboons and dogs in blood.

“The Peace Accord was ridiculed by deliberate and open abuse of organs of the state, the denial of rights of many citizens to vote and blatant abuse of all the commitments made by the administration. To decline to challenge obviously fictional figures, failures to respect key elements of the electoral process such as use of Smart Card Readers and preventing agents and observers access to all processes is to condone the massive setback which this election represents for the country. The outcome of the elections were clearly premeditated in the refusal of the President to sign the Electoral Act and the orchestrated suspension of Justice Walter Onoghen as the CJN shortly before the composition of Electoral Tribunals. The Forum calls on the judiciary to uphold the highest standards of integrity and commitment to its hallowed role by doing justice to the appeals that will come before it knowing that the eyes of the world would be on them .We are aware that attempts are being made to demoralize and intimidate the judiciary to remove a conducive context for litigations. We remind the judiciary that it is the last defence of our democratic process. We appeal to all Nigerians to continue to show faith in the democratic process and remain law-abiding as we await the decisions of the judiciary on a matter that will ultimately determine the quality of our democratic process and the nature of the nation we all call our own. We recall that in endorsing the candidature of Atiku for the election ,we did anchor our support on identifying a candidate among many good candidates we interacted with who can retool Nigeria to move on the path of development as a true federal entity ,the pattern of voting in areas where there were semi- free elections showed an overwhelming endorsements of our position by popular votes. And the polls results have shown further a badly divided polity that needs a unifier and not a divisive person as a leader. We insist Nigerians must stand firm and ensure that they are governed by a legitimate leadership.”

Meanwhile, Atiku has assembled his legal team, headed by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Livey Uzoukwu.

Inaugurating the team, Atiku said through his spokesperson Paul Ibe: “I have just inaugurated my legal team and charged them with the responsibility of ensuring that our stolen mandate is retrieved. I am encouraged by the presence of fearless men and women of the Bench. The judiciary which had in the past discharged itself ably is once again being called upon to deliver judgment on this matter that will be untainted by lucre and uncowed by the threat of immoral power.”

Expressing confidence in the Judiciary, he believes that soon “these noble dispensers of justice will give a judgment that will represent a historic denunciation of electoral fraud and mandate bandit.”