Nigerians, especially those who support the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the Labour Party, LP, have been asked to abstain from violence and maintain their composure in advance of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal Judgement, which is slated to take place today (Wednesday).
According to Anaedoonline.ng, there are rumours that LP supporters and their PDP counterparts are preparing to hold a protest if the ruling is in the ruling All Progressives Congress’ favour.
Recall that Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s presidential candidate, and Peter Obi, the LP’s nominee, both rejected the election’s results due to purported anomalies that they said tainted the vote.
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President Bola Tinubu was declared the winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), but Obi and Atiku petitioned the tribunal to have Tinubu’s victory declared invalid.
Obi and Atiku contended that Tinubu did not achieve the electoral umpire’s stated goal of receiving a majority of valid ballots.
The petitioners claim that collation was still going on when INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu declared Tinubu the winner since many of the presidential election results had not yet been published to the INEC’s Results Viewing (IReV) Portals.
As a result of the ruling party’s failure to garner 25% of the vote in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Obi is also requesting that the court declare Tinubu’s victory invalid.
The five-member panel of the Presidential Election Petition Court, presided over by Justice Haruna Tsammani, is scheduled to issue its ruling one month after the petitions’ hearings came to an end.
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According to Anaedoonline.ng, the event, which is scheduled to be broadcast on television, has raised tension all around the nation.
While President Tinubu’s spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, asserted that his boss is unconcerned with the potential outcome of the presidential election tribunal, this may not be the case for many Nigerians, including the petitioners.
The Department of State Services, or DSS, claims that some people are already preparing to organise violent protests around the nation.
However, several parties involved have urged restraint, advising Nigerians to get ready to accept the verdict in good faith.
There is no need to create turmoil, regardless of the tribunal’s decision, according to Diran Onifade, Head of Media and Communications for the disbanded Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, in an interview with Newsmen on Tuesday.
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He asserts that the tribunal’s decision is not final and that an appeal may still be made.
He declared, “We have always urged our own followers to accept the verdict in any form.
“There is still time to appeal; this is just the first incident in the case. Although we do not yet know who will win the ruling, we have been pleading with our fans to favour peace.
“We must not approach the situation believing that we cannot obtain justice. The judges treated us fairly, listened to us, and allowed each of us to present the evidence we had.
We observed what the opposing party presented in court, and we are confident in our position. The decision will now be made by the judges.
In a same vein, Mr. Iorfa Mathew, a chieftain of the main opposition PDP, urged Atiku’s followers to maintain their composure regardless of the petition’s conclusion.
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Iorfa advised Nigerians, especially Atiku’s supporters, in a conversation with Newsmen to accept whatever the verdict may be.
“All we want is a country where things are working. It doesn’t matter who the judgement favours, Nigeria will not crash.
“It is the desire to see things working in the country again that made the petitioners go to court, so why would anyone think of causing chaos because of tribunal judgement?
“The tribunal’s judgement is not final. The Supreme Court will have the final judgement, so why are we so worried?
“The system has been in a bad shape for a very long time, changing it won’t come easy. So we should set aside our emotions and accept whatever the judges tell us.
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“If we could be so mature when the INEC declared Tinubu winner of the poll and decided to do it in a legal way, we can still do it. Let’s be calm and embrace peace for the sake of our dear nation”, he said.
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