Atiku rejects Nigeria’s presidential results, vows to head to court
The
presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji
Atiku Abubakar, has officially rejected the presidential election result
as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),
making President Muhammadu Buhari the winner.
INEC on
Wednesday morning formally declared the Presidential Candidate of the
All Progressives Congress, APC, President Muhammadu Buhari as the winner
of the presidential poll.
In his reaction however, Atiku in a
statement on Wednesday said he would not call Buhari to accept defeat
because the presidential election was not free and fair.
The
full statement reads: “I thank the Nigerian people who trooped out in
their millions to perform their civic duty this past Saturday. The
patriotism of Nigerians is heartwarming and affirms my oft-repeated
statement that we are brothers and sisters born from the womb of one
mother Nigeria.
“With regards to the Presidential elections
that took place on February 23, 2019, it is clear that there were
manifest and premeditated malpractices in many states which negate the
results announced.
“One obvious red flag is the statistical
impossibility of states ravaged by the war on terror generating much
higher voter turnouts than peaceful states. The suppressed votes in my
strongholds are so apparent and amateurish, that I am ashamed as a
Nigerian that such could be allowed to happen. How can total votes in
Akwa-Ibom, for instance, be 50% less than what they were in 2015?
“How
can total votes in Akwa-Ibom, for instance, be 50% less than what they
were in 2015? Another glaring anomaly is the disruption of voting in
strongholds of the Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos, Akwa-Ibom, Rivers
and diverse other states, with the authorities doing little or nothing
and in some cases facilitating these unfortunate situations.
“The
militarization of the electoral process is a disservice to our
democracy and a throwback to the jackboot era of military dictatorship.
In some areas of the country, such as, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Imo states,
troops deployed for the elections turned their guns on the very
citizens they were meant to protect. This is condemnable and should not
be associated with our electoral process in the future.
“I am a
democrat and there are democratic avenues available to present the
truth to the nation and the watching world. Already, many international
observers have given their verdicts, which corroborate our observations.
I am sure more will come in the coming hours and days.
“If I
had lost in a free and fair election, I would have called the victor
within seconds of my being aware of his victory to offer not just my
congratulations, but my services to help unite Nigeria by being a bridge
between the North and the South.
“However, in my democratic
struggles for the past three decades, I have never seen our democracy so
debased as it was on Saturday, February 23, 2019. 2007 was a challenge,
but President Yar’Adua was remorseful. In 2019, it is sad to see those
who trampled on democracy thumping their noses down on the Nigerian
people.
“Consequently, I hereby reject the result of the
February 23, 2019 sham election and will be challenging it in court. I
want to assure my supporters and the entire Nigerian people that
together, we will not allow democracy to be emasculated.”