Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, said the prediction of the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU), that the court will not upturn President Bola Tinubu’s election, is an embarrassment to the think tank body.
Atiku in a statement by his media adviser Paul Ibe, said it was evident that the prediction was purchased by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to confuse Nigerians.
He noted that notwithstanding the preponderance of salient issues raised on the credibility of the election by local and foreign observers, “it is disappointing that the EIU would condescend to ballot laundering for the ruling party in the most populous black country.”
The former vice president calls for caution and restraint, and advised the EIU to respect Nigeria’s democracy and the institution of her judiciary.
Atiku reminded the APC, which he accused of “going cap in hand begging for legitimacy at all impossible places,” of the popular local proverb that: “he who steals a drum from the palace carries the unenviable burden of where to beat it.”
According to him, “A government that goes around to buy anything at sight to award legitimacy unto itself leaves much to the imagination of the people.”
He noted that “President Tinubu and his team of lawyers had all the opportunity at the court to present his case of legitimacy before the parties closed their cases at the election petition tribunal.
“But rather than explore that opportunity, his lawyers were busy signing counter motions on subpoenas that seek to shed more light on his personal information.
“We therefore consider it a breach of due process anything that is being done outside the walls of the court that seeks to make short circuited testimony about the outcome of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.”