Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, the candidate of the People's Democratic Party (PDP for president, has pleaded with the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to summon up the courage to impartially judge his petition challenging Ahmed Bola Tinubu's election victory on February 25.
On Sunday, Atiku made it clear that, in contrast to Tinubu's prediction, the sky would not fall if Tinubu were to be removed from office as president of Nigeria by the tribunal due to massive electoral fraud.
Atiku characterized Tinubu's threat as an empty one used to thwart the tribunal from upholding justice in the petition contesting Tinubu's election in his final written words.
The former Vice President recalled the courageous stand taken by the Supreme Court in the case of Rotimi Amaechi, where the high court ruled that when justice is carried out in the way required by law, heavens won't fall, in the final written speech provided by his main lawyer, Chief Chris Uche, SAN.
Justice George Adesola Oguntade, who delivered the Supreme Court judgment in the cited authority, had said:
“I must do justice even if the heavens fall. The truth, of course, is that when justice has been done, the heavens stay in one place and in peace.”
By ignoring the threat of monumental chaos issued by Tinubu to thwart justice, Atiku requested that the tribunal use the courage demonstrated in the prior Supreme Court judgment to resolve his petition against Tinubu.
After admitting to a punitive forfeiture of $406,000 in a drug and money laundering-related case, the former vice president said that Tinubu had forfeited his moral and legal right to hold the office of president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Additionally, Tinubu was declared the winner of the election illegally, according to Atiku, who accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of corruptly altering the election results in Tinubu's favor.
The former vice president requested for the electoral body's proclamation to be nullified and set aside and, in its place, declare him the election's winner, citing the alleged brazen subversion of the popular will of the voters by INEC in favor of Tinubu.
