The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and President Bola Tinubu are locked in a war of words over an alleged plot to manipulate the ongoing electoral dispute at the Presidential Election Petition Court, Abuja.
Atiku, a former vice president, in a statement on Saturday in Abuja by his media office, alleged that there are threats from the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Tinubu’s party, that aim to intimidate the judiciary from ensuring justice in the ongoing presidential electoral dispute.
But Mr Tinubu and the APC have dismissed the allegations. Atiku, who came second in the 25 February presidential election, is urging the Presidential Election Petition Court to overturn Mr Tinubu’s victory on account of alleged electoral fraud.
Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in their separated suits, are also asking the five-member panel of the court headed by Haruna Tsammani, to nullify the president’s victory at the polls.
They are accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of manipulating the entire electoral process in favour of Mr Tinubu.
The petitioners also argued during the court’s hearing that Mr Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima were not eligible to vie for the presidency owing to allegations of criminal forfeiture and double nomination against the duo.
However, Messrs Tinubu, Shettima, the APC and INEC, in their defence before the court, contended that there was substantial compliance with the electoral laws in the conduct of the 25 February presidential election.
They urged the court to dismiss the suits against Mr Tinubu.
Credit: premiumtimesng.com
