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Tinubu Object Atiku’s Petition for Nullification of Presidential Election

The president-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has objected to the petition by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)seeking the nullification of the February 25 presidential election result.

Tinubu states this on Friday while giving a fresh update regarding the February 25 presidential election. He noted that Atiku could not have won the election because part of the votes was shared by the candidates of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party, (NNPP). 

He added that the crisis in the PDP and the defection of Obi and Kwankwaso to other parties also contributed to Atiku’s failure.

The APC candidate urged the tribunal to dismiss the case with significant costs since it was frivolous and without merit, according to a Premium Times article. 

Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission had declared  Tinubu the winner of the presidential election with 8,794,726 votes, while Atiku came second with  6,984,520 votes;  Obi and Kwankwaso got  6,101,533 and 1,496,687 votes, to finish third and fourth respectively. 

However, Atiku had claimed that the poll was manipulated and went before the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal in Abuja, praying that Tinubu’s declaration as the winner is voided.

According to Tinubu, the PDP was more unified in 2019 when Atiku ran for president against the incumbent, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (ret. ), with Obi as his running mate and Kwankwaso as one of his supporters.

He said the situation changed in 2023 because “the same  Obi broke away from the PDP to join the Labour Party to contest the presidential election of 25th February 2023, while Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso also broke away from PDP to contest the presidential election on the ticket of the NNPP.

 “While Peter Obi polled a total number of 6,101,533, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso polled 1,496,687.

 “Before the balkanisation of the 2nd petitioner (PDP), the southeastern states of Enugu, Abia, Imo, Ebonyi and Anambra used to be controlled by the 2nd petitioner, but at the presidential election of February 25, 2023, they all went the way of Labour Party.

“At a press conference addressed by the 1st petitioner on or about March 2, 2023, he admitted the negative impact of the balkanisation of the 2nd petitioner on the fortune of his election, particularly, the exit of Peter Gregory Obi from the party.

“Respondent pleads the national newspapers that publicised the 1st petitioner’s press conference, including The PUNCH of March 3, 2023, where the 1st petitioner was reported to have lamented thus:  It is a fact that Peter Obi took our votes from the South-East and South-South, but that wouldn’t make him the President. You need votes from everywhere.”

Describing Atiku as a serial loser since 1993, Tinubu said, “It was/is not a surprise and/or not by accident that the electorate rejected the 1st petitioner at the polls of the presidential election held on February 25, 2023.”

In contrast to him, who kept his affiliation with a political party and expanded his support base, Atiku, according to Tinubu, “has lost most of his followers in the process of moving from one political party to the other.”

See popular opinion on Tinubu’s comment

So it is Tinubu that will tell us who and who does not have a vote… professor Tinubu we hear u

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