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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The presidency has described the allegation by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was plotting to undermine the judiciary as “laughable, jejune, ill-thought out and illogical.”
Atiku had raised an alarm over what he described as a sinister plot to undermine the Nigerian judiciary as well as democracy.
In a statement issued on Saturday by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, Atiku had explained that since the conclusion of the presidential election in February and the attendant controversies in its trail, there have been unfortunate developments that are saddening to many Nigerians.
According to the former vice president,the election that brought the current government into office is the worst in the annals of democratic politics in our country, even though it was promised to be the best ever.
Atiku added that there were some heinous plots to harass justices sitting on the petition are ominous to peace and the security of our nation.
But the Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communication and Strategy to the President, Dele Alake, in a statement released on Saturday night, said it was obvious that having been thoroughly defeated by the APC and President Bola Tinubu, the former vice president has not fully recovered from the shock of defeat, hence the current attempt to mischievously rake up “another round of inanities that offended basic logic and rational thinking.”
“Apart from innuendos, insinuations and outright lies contained in the said press statement, the former vice president didn’t put forward any convincing argument to support his claims on how the President Tinubu-led administration and APC sought to undercut, undermine and compromise the judiciary.
“If the former vice president believes in democracy and the sanctity of the judiciary, as claimed, he would not engage in making spurious and wild allegations aimed at disparaging and discrediting an important arm of government that should serve as the bulwark for our democracy.
“He shamelessly resorted to this cheap attempt to intimidate and blackmail the Judiciary even when he is party to a case before the Presidential Election Petition Court.
“Let it be said that when it comes to matters of fighting for democracy and democratic ideals, rule of law and independence of Judiciary in Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu stands shoulder above Atiku Abubakar. When President Tinubu was leading the charge against the emasculation of the Judiciary and promoting the sanctity of rule of law as the building block for good governance as Governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007, under a PDP central government, Alhaji Atiku was nowhere to be found.
“It is on record and to his eternal credit that President Tinubu, through the instrumentality of the law and Judiciary, successfully challenged many of the draconian and obnoxious decisions of the PDP-led Federal Government that trampled on the rights of the states as federating units. Lagos State under the leadership of the then Governor Tinubu won over 13 cases up to the Supreme Court against the hydra-headed PDP administration at the centre,” he said.
Alake added that no leader with such a sterling and enviable credential as a champion of rule of law, independence of judiciary like Tinubu will ever contemplate undermining the judiciary as alleged by Abubakar.
“President Tinubu won a free, fair and credible election. The February 25, 2023 presidential election that produced him is the most transparent election ever conducted in Nigeria since 1999.
“President Tinubu and the APC absolutely have no reason to undermine the Judiciary in the hope of any favourable judgement.
“His lawyers and that of APC have presented very solid defence of the result of the election and we are sure the judiciary will impartially deliver its ruling on the basis of points of law and evidence before it, not based on presumptuous speculations and unfounded accusations.
“Atiku Abubakar should be honourable enough as a statesman to allow the Judiciary perform its sacred duty without harassment and this resort to self-help. Attempting to discredit an important institution of state for selfish political end is disingenuous, shameful and unbecoming of a former vice president of Nigeria. This desperation must stop,” the statement added.
