The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, on Monday, filed an election petition in the Court of Appeal, praying the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to declare him (Atiku) winner of the Nigeria Presidential Election 2019.
Speaking to journalists Monday, the PDP’s national legal adviser Emmanuel Enoidem said: “We asked that our candidate who won the election massively across the country be declared the winner.”
It was on February 27 that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced Muhammed Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a winner of the Presidential Election 2019, and issued a Certificate of Return to Mr. Buhari and his running mate Mr. Osinbajo.
Soon after Buhari of the APC was declared winner, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP vowed to use all legal means to challenge INEC’s Presidential Election results 2019, saying that the electoral body has engaged in the height of “election fraud and mandate bandit”. Atiku said:
“I am encouraged by the presence of fearless men and women of the Bench. The judiciary, which had in the past discharged itself ably is once again being called upon to deliver judgment on this matter that will be untainted by lucre and unbowed by the threat of immoral power.”
During a World Press Conference on February 27, Atiku laid bare some of his observations, alleging gross manipulation of the Presidential Election 2019.
“On Election Day, we saw the implementation of grand theft of the people’s will. In Akwa Ibom for instance, the results showed a statistical impossibility of a 62% drop in voter numbers from the 2015 elections even where voter registration and PVC collection rates were much higher than in 2015. This pattern was repeated in strongholds of the Peoples Democratic Party, including in Delta, Rivers, Abia and Benue states. As this was occurring, we saw another statistical impossibility wherein voter turnout and numbers increased astronomically in Borno State by an almost miraculous 82% in the midst of increased insecurity. This pattern was also repeated in other strongholds of the All Progressive Congress. One begins to ask if insecurity is conducive to higher voter turnouts and security is antithetical to high voter turnout. The fact is that when you calmly look at the numbers declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission as results of the February 23, 2019 elections, they do not add up,” Atiku said.