We have read the laughable and jejune statement by former Vice President and People’s Democratic Party Presidential Candidate in the last election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
It is obvious that having been thoroughly defeated by the All
Progressives Congress and now President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the former Vice
President has not fully recovered from the shock of defeat, hence the current
attempt to mischievously rake up another round of inanities that offend basic
logic and rational thinking.
In an ill-thought-out and illogical
statement, Alhaji Atiku and his minders accused the current administration of
the governing APC of plotting to undermine the judiciary without providing any
shred of evidence. Apart from innuendos, insinuations and outright lies
contained in the said press statement, the former Vice President Atiku didn’t
put forward any convincing ill-thought-out argument to support his claims on
how the President Tinubu-led administration and APC sought to undercut,
undermine and compromise the judiciary.
If the former Vice President believes in democracy and the
sanctity of the Judiciary, as claimed, he would not engage in making spurious
and wild allegations aimed at disparaging and discrediting an important arm of
government that should serve as the bulwark for our democracy.
He shamelessly resorted to this cheap attempt to intimidate and
blackmail the Judiciary even when he is party to a case before the Presidential
Election Petition Court.
Let it be said that when it comes to matters of fighting for
democracy and democratic ideals, the rule of law and independence of the Judiciary
in Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu stands shoulder above Atiku Abubakar. When
President Tinubu was leading the charge against the emasculation of the
judiciary and promoting the sanctity of the rule of law as the building block
for good governance as Governor of Lagos State, between 1999 and 2007. This was
under a PDP federal government, Alhaji Atiku was nowhere to be found.
It is on record and to his eternal credit that President Tinubu,
through the instrumentality of the law and Judiciary, successfully challenged
many of the draconian and obnoxious decisions of the PDP-led Federal Government
that trampled on the rights of the States as federating units. Lagos State
under the leadership of the then Governor Tinubu won over 13 cases up to the
Supreme Court against the hydra-headed PDP administration at the centre.
No leader with such a sterling and enviable credential as a
champion of the rule of law, and independence of judiciary like President
Tinubu will ever contemplate undermining the Judiciary as alleged by Alhaji
Atiku.
President Tinubu won a free, fair and credible election. The
February 25, 2023, Presidential election that produced him is the most transparent
election ever conducted in Nigeria since 1999.
President Tinubu and the APC have
no reason to undermine the judiciary in the hope of favourable judgement.
His lawyers and that of APC have presented very solid defence of
the result of the election and we are sure the judiciary will impartially
deliver its ruling on the basis of points of law and evidence before it, not
based on presumptuous speculations and unfounded accusations.
Atiku Abubakar should be honourable enough as a statesman to
allow the Judiciary to perform its sacred duty without harassment and this resort
to self-help. Attempting to discredit an important institution of State for
selfish political end is disingenuous, shameful and unbecoming of a former Vice
President of Nigeria. This desperation must stop.
Atiku has no case
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