Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last election, Atiku Abubakar, says Nigeria is in trouble if the Supreme Court implies that crime should be rewarded.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the February 25 election, but Atiku rejected the result and headed for the court.
The Presidential Elections Petition Tribunal had dismissed his suit and upheld Tinubu's victory.
Dissatisfied, Atiku headed for the Supreme Court and subsequently sought to include additional "forgery evidence" which he obtained from the Chicago State University, but the court objected to this on the grounds that plea was made outside the 180-day mandatory period stipulated by the law.
Speaking at a World Press Conference Monday in Abuja, Atiku said Nigeria and not himself was the bigger loser of the Apex Court judgement.
"If the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, implies by its judgment that crime is good and should be rewarded, then Nigeria has lost and the country is doomed irrespective of who occupies the Presidential seat.
"If the Supreme Court decides that the Electoral umpire, INEC, can tell the public one thing and then do something else in order to reach a corruptly predetermined outcome, then there is really no hope for the country's democracy and electoral politics.
"Obviously, the consequences of those decisions for the country will not end at the expiration of the current government. They will last for decades. I am absolutely sure that history will vindicate me. We now know what the Supreme Court has decided," he said.
