Leon Usigbe, Umoru Henry & Chris Ochai
27 February 2008
General Muhammadu Buhari of the ANPP and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of AC have both vowed to appeal yesterday's verdict of the election petitions tribunal at the Supreme Court.
However, the immediate reaction of a victorious President Umaru Yar'Adua's to the confirmation of his election by the Presidential Election Tribunal, yesterday was a call on his opponents - General Muhammadu Buhari and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar - to accept the tribunal's verdict in good faith.
"I again extend my hand of fellowship, friendship and brotherhood to my brothers, who are the petitioners to join hands with me and the Vice-president to serve the people of this country," he told well-wishers at the Presidential Villa
He had a supporter in his predecessor, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, who applauded the verdict as a vindication of his administration's stand that the "election was properly conducted."
For Gen. Buhari, yesterday's "decision was nothing more than semi-final," while Alhaji Atiku said "justice has not been done."
Tribunal's verdict vindicates my position - Yar'Adua
President's Yar'Adua's Chief spokesman, Mr. Olusegun Adeniji conveyed his boss' views in a statement saying:
"President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua welcomes with humility and gratitude to God Almighty from Whom all power and authority come, today's (yesterday's) affirmation by the Presidential Elections Tribunal that he was duly elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by the majority of votes lawfully cast in the presidential elections of April 21, 2007.
"The President is gratified that the tribunal unanimously confirmed his often-stated belief that the acknowledged imperfections notwithstanding, he was the clear winner of the presidential elections, which were conducted, in substantial compliance with all relevant laws.
"President Yar'Adua seizes this opportunity to, once again, thank all Nigerians, who have remained steadfast in their support for his administration as it strives to fulfill its mandate for positive and significant changes in the living conditions of all citizens.
"The President urges his two valiant opponents in the elections who petitioned against its outcome to accept the verdict of the tribunal in good faith. His invitation for them to cooperate with him in moving Nigeria forward remains and he calls on them to accept it now in the greater interest of the country.
"He reaffirms his total commitment to serving Nigeria to the best of his abilities and running a purposeful and result-oriented administration that will yield tangible and visible benefits for all Nigerians.
"The President also reaffirms his commitment to working with all stakeholders to fully address the problems associated with past elections in the country and achieve a positive reformation of Nigeria's electoral system that will ensure that the problems do not recur in future."
Obasanjo applauds verdict
Former President Obasanjo, while applauding the verdict of the Presidential Election Tribunal said it had vindicated his administration's stand that the election was creditably conducted. "The election was properly conducted,"' he said. Obasanjo said the verdict was "a vindication of the fact that my administration conducted the election to the best of our ability."
He said although no human process was perfect, whatever inadequacy in the elections did not substantially affect the results negatively. The former President reiterated the fact that no election anywhere in the world was perfect, saying Nigeria's could not be different. He congratulated Yar'Adua and Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan, on their victory at the tribunal.
Obasanjo said now that the tribunal had upheld their election, the two men should re-dedicate their lives to the good of Nigerians.
Justice not done - Atiku
Alhaji Atiku in his reaction said: "In April of last year, Nigerians were buoyed with the prospects of going to the polls to choose, of their free will, a new set of leaders, including a new President, to pilot their affairs for another 4 (four) years. In April of last year, that promise of hope and restoration was broken.
"In an atmosphere fraught with fraud, intimidation and outright illegality, a series of events were foisted upon us culminating in the charade called 'elections' on the 14th and 21st of April 2007, respectively. These so-called 'elections' have been adjudged by all, far and near, local or foreign, to be the worst elections ever conducted on the face of planet Earth.
The elections were so incurably bad that even those "selected" under this subversive fraud have freely admitted on record that the process was hopelessly flawed.
"Those who orchestrated and perpetrated this fraud on the Nigerian people did so with the belief that, once firmly entrenched in their illegally acquired offices, they could foist upon us all a fait accompli and silence our collective voices. But they were wrong!
"All my adult life, I have always believed and held sacred the principle that there is no alternative to democracy: the enthronement of the will of the people as freely expressed in periodically conducted free and fair elections. But democracy is not about elections alone. There is none more important than the role of the judiciary and the rule of law.
"We have seen how election disputes have degenerated into anarchy and near civil war in several countries in Africa . We have seen how denying people the right to freely choose their own leaders has resulted in the explosion of pent-up frustrations and anger and, sometimes violence, leading to the senseless loss of lives and destruction of property.
"As a law abiding, people-first committed democrat, the standard bearer of an equally democratic, people oriented and law-abiding political party and having faith in the strength, courage and ability of the Nigerian judiciary to dispense justice fairly and without bias, we have taken the one and only route we have always taken in the face of manifest illegality, injustice and subversion of the will of the people: we have gone to court.
"Today, in an epochal and far-reaching judgement, the Presidential Elections Petitions Tribunal has, in its own wisdom, decided that the charade called 'elections' held in April of last year was a fair representation of the free will of the Nigerian people.
"Today's judgement is not a decision against Atiku Abubakar or the Action Congress. No! It is the peace loving people of Nigeria, who have lost today. In my own humble opinion, the people of Nigeria have had their voices silenced again. Justice has not been done and the rape of our young democracy has been sustained.
The future of constitutional democracy and free and fair elections in Nigeria , nay, Africa , remains imperilled and we must redouble our efforts at vigilance.
"Yet, the rule of law must prevail. Right will, one day, prevail over wrong. I remain unshaken and steadfast in my long-held belief that there is no alternative to this our democracy.
In fact, today's judgement re-validated this and I am confident still that, even though it may sometimes appear to be a long and tortuous path, there is no alternative to recourse to our courts to seek redress for electoral fraud. Consequently, I have instructed my team of lawyers to compile the records of today's proceedings and to, immediately, file an appeal at the Supreme Court of Nigeria to overturn this judgement.
"I must thank a dynamic, courageous and free and vibrant press for its steadfastness and never-shaking commitment to Project Nigeria. You must redouble your efforts at vigilance.
Most importantly, however, I must thank the long-suffering ordinary people of our dear country, who have remained patient, enduring and peace-loving even in the face of the subversion of their free will and the deprivation of their God ordained rights. Your day of vindication will yet come.
"Today, the battle is lost, but the war remains. There is still a long winding road ahead of us in the long journey to rebuild Nigeria. There are many more tribulations awaiting us down the road. But go down this road, we must. We must rebuild our politics, our economy and our society. We must redefine what it means to be a Nigerian. Every Nigerian of voting age must have his voice heard and his vote counted, because, as I have said before, there is no alternative to democracy."
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