It’s Not Over Until It’s Over: Atiku, Tinubu Trade Words on Undermining the Judiciary

It’s Not Over Until It’s Over: Atiku, Tinubu Trade Words on Undermining the Judiciary

It’s not over until it is over, are the lyrics of a popular song, meaning an event does not come to an end until it is completely finished. Nigeria’s political environment is tension soaked with the politicians trying to outmanouver one another. They have in search of advantage and victory resorted to playing mind-games with

It’s not over until it is over, are the lyrics of a popular song, meaning an event does not come to an end until it is completely finished. Nigeria’s political environment is tension soaked with the politicians trying to outmanouver one another. They have in search of advantage and victory resorted to playing mind-games with the judiciary, almost turning that important arm of government to the whipping boy.

Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu are trading words over an alleged plot to manipulate the ongoing electoral dispute at the Presidential Election Petition Court, in Abuja.

The former vice president, in a statement on Saturday in Abuja by his media office, alleged that there are threats from the All Progressives Congress (APC), President Tinubu’s party, that aim to intimidate the judiciary from ensuring justice in the ongoing presidential electoral dispute.

But President Tinubu and the APC have not only dismissed the allegations but have engaged the former vice president in a war of words and political tirades..

Alhaji Abubakar who came second in the 25 February presidential election, in a statement signed by his media aide, Mr. Paul Ibe, described the last general election as the “the worst in the annals of democratic politics in our country,”
Alhaji Abubakar said INEC’s “arbitrariness” in declaring Mr Tinubu as winner of the election despite not fulfilling the statutory requirements was why he is challenging the outcome.

“But as proceedings on the controversial February 25 election continue at the court, there have been threats from the ruling party that aim to intimidate the judiciary from serving the duty of justice,” also alleging that the APC and President Tinubu’s “agents” “have ceaselessly chosen to stand in the way of justice by making catastrophic threats to anarchy if justice is not served according to their whims.”

Last Wednesday, there were social media reports that President Tinubu allegedly had a secret telephone conversation with the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Olukayode Ariwoola, concerning the pending suits against the president. The reports also alleged that Justice Ariwoola had a clandestine phone conversation with the Director General of the Department Security Service (DSS),Alhaji Yusuf Bichi, with a view to asking the presidential election court to give its judgement in favour of President Tinubu.

The former vice president, however, cautioned that “Nigeria’s democracy should not be undermined by using the judiciary to serve the interest of the ruling party.” Referencing the social media reports about President Tinubu and Justice Ariwoola’s alleged phone call, Alhaji Abubakar said, “…reports in the media about some heinous plots to harass justices sitting on the petition are ominous to peace and the security of our nation.”

“To compromise the workings of our democracy and seeking to compromise the workings of our judiciary is an open call for anarchy.” The former vice president expressed his desire to abide by the law “in resisting any attempt to undermine our fragile democracy.”

Drawing the attention of the international community to the allegations, Atiku recalled how a former CJN, Walter Onnoghen, was unlawfully removed from office in 2019 “when it was obvious that he would not bend to their will.” Alhaji Abubakar further recalled how armed SSS operatives invaded official residences of judges in 2016 and 2017 “all in a bid to beat the judiciary into submission.”

He lamented that the ruling APC government had earned notoriety in arm-twisting the judiciary. “The plot of the APC is simple: intimidate the judiciary, threaten judges with arrest so that they will bow to their will. This is a playbook from 2019 when they removed the CJN and then replaced him with Tanko Muhammad, who himself was later accused of corruption by his colleagues at the Supreme Court and resigned shamefully”, he stressed

However, the APC and the Supreme Court management have denied the allegations, saying there was “no iota of truth” in the claims.

Further reacting to the allegations, President Tinubu’s Special Adviser Media and Strategy, Mr. Dele Alake, described Atiku’s statement as “laughable.” adding that “Alhaji Abubakar had not fully recovered from the shock of defeat, hence the current attempt to mischievously rake up another round of inanities that offend basic logic and rational thinking.” He said the former vice president failed to provide any evidence to support his claims.

Mr Alake said Alhaji Abubakar “shamelessly resorted to this cheap attempt to intimidate and blackmail the Judiciary even when he is party to a case before the Presidential Election Tribunal.”

Recalling President Tinubu’s contributions to the entrenchment of democracy, Mr Alake said the president “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 1999-2007, under a PDP central government, Alhaji Atiku was nowhere to be found.”

He added that “no leader with such a sterling and enviable credential as a champion of rule of law, independence of judiciary like President Tinubu will ever contemplate undermining the Judiciary as alleged by Alhaji Abubakar.”

According to Mr Alake, President Tinubu won the February presidential election in a “free and fair” manner, saying it was the “most transparent election ever conducted in Nigeria since 1999.”

Also reacting, the All Progressives Congress (APC) described Alhaji Abubakar’s statement as “arrant nonsense” and “lacking in substance.” The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said President Tinubu won the election convincingly and it has full faith and confidence in the nation’s courts.

“Our attention has been drawn to a Press Statement by a media aide to Atiku Abubakar, Presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). The statement alleges that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its government are engaged in a plot to intimidate members of the judiciary towards unduly influencing the outcome of pending cases before the court. Atiku Abubakar and his minions offered no evidence to support their wild, hollow, and mischievous allegations.

“Quite frankly, there is nothing in Atiku Abubakar’s statement that is worth a reaction from the APC. It is just arrant nonsense, totally lacking in substance and cogency. Its only imaginable purpose is a childish attempt to float an alibi to deflect the shame of a highly probable defeat in court, having miserably failed to make out a credible case to justify his bogus claim that he won the last Presidential Election.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and our Party won the election convincingly. We have full faith and confidence in our courts to dispense electoral justice in accordance with our Constitution and all applicable laws,” Mr Morka said.

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