Former Vice President and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, criticized the report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) on the outcome of the presidential election petition tribunal, calling it an embarrassment and a disgraceful outing. The EIU had predicted that President Bola Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 presidential election would not be overturned by the court, as Atiku and Labour Party candidate Peter Obi challenge the election’s outcome at the tribunal.
Atiku accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of purchasing the report to confuse the country and defend the election’s legitimacy. Despite the salient issues raised on the election’s credibility by local and foreign observers, Atiku expressed disappointment in the EIU’s apparent endorsement of the ruling party’s victory.
In a statement by his media aide, Paul Ibe, Atiku urged the EIU to respect Nigeria’s democracy and the institution of the judiciary, warning against any further biased reports about Nigeria. He questioned the legitimacy of a government that seeks to buy legitimacy from various sources and emphasized the importance of due process and presenting cases before the election petition tribunal.
Atiku highlighted that President Tinubu and his legal team had the opportunity to present their case of legitimacy during the court proceedings, but instead, they focused on countering motions on subpoenas related to Tinubu’s personal information. Atiku considered any attempt to make short-circuited testimonies about the tribunal’s outcome outside the court walls a breach of due process.
The situation remains contentious as the presidential election petition tribunal continues to review the election’s outcome, with Atiku and other challengers seeking transparency and fairness in the process.
