Taiwo Amodu – Abuja
The All Progressives Congress(APC) has assembled a legal team of 12 Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) to represent it at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
A statement signed by Ahmad Usman El-Marzuq, National Legal Adviser of the party revealed that Prince Latest Fagbemi, (SAN)would lead the team of eleven other legal luminaries with vast experience in election petition matters, constitutional law, and litigation to defend the party victory at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
The APC National Working Committee expressed confidence in the legal team which it noted ” possesses requisite expertise and experience to ensure a successful outcome for the APC in the Presidential Election Petition matters.
“We urge members of the Party to support the team in its effort to defend the will and mandate of the people. We also call on all parties involved to conduct themselves with the utmost professionalism and respect for the rule of law throughout the legal process.”
Tribune Online findings revealed that the Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party(PDP), Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party(LP) candidate, Peter Obi at separate media briefings claimed that they won the February 25 presidential election in which the APC standard bearer, Bola Ahmed Tinubu was declared the winner.
The LP candidate has vowed that he would explore all legal and peaceful means to prove it in court.
Atiku has also maintained the same position “the processes and outcome of the Presidential and National Assembly elections of last Saturday were grossly flawed in every material particular and as such, must be challenged.”
Meanwhile, the coalition of Civil Society Organisations for Tinubu/Shettima 2023 has cautioned the leadership of the PDP not to set the country ablaze through ungraded statements.
Addressing newsmen on Tuesday, the convener, Dr Lilian Ogbole said the elections complied substantially with the Electoral Law and the country’s Constitution.
She noted that there was nowhere in the world where elections are devoid of some hitches.
Ogbole said: “But be that as it may, you will all agree with us that the just concluded election has been the most transparent since independence in 1960. And any man or woman who says the election was not credible was just being unfair and not truthful.
“This is our country. If Nigeria goes bad, we will go bad, Nigeria is our hope. We must do everything within our power to ensure that we keep that home. There is no election in the world where everybody emerged as the winner. What makes you a personality is your ability to take your losses in good faith, it is your ability to be a good loser.”
Ogbole said the fact that certain individuals or elements or contestants did not win the election does not mean that Nigeria should come to a halt.
She added: “Nigeria was there before they came and Nigeria will continue after them. If we are patriots, if we believe in the Nigerian project, and of course, if we are sure that what we are doing by contesting is to build a better Nigeria for all and sundry, we will not want to destroy the country that we want to build.”
The coalition, therefore, condemned the action of some elder statesmen and leaders of the opposition party taking to the streets to ventilate their disaffection.
It stated: “You see them taking to the streets, If you think the election was not free and fair, the right thing to do is to seek for redress in a court of law. A man who is meant to be a nationalist, a man who is meant to be a patriot, a man who wants to be a leader should not be making loose statements here and there.”
Another leader of the group, Comrade Okpokwu Ogenyi, said Nigerians have accepted the outcome of the presidential election, adding that no Nigerian will agree to be coerced into causing chaos in the country.
Ogenyi said: “Today we are here to throw weight behind the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the President-elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and we are saying that as a Civil Society Organisation, we will always be the watchdog of the society, we will be there always to guide the conscience of society and we also
“I want to add that no Nigerian will agree to be coaxed into causing chaos. We saw what happened yesterday where some elements of the opposition, who are supposed to be elder statesmen decided to take to the street in protest, they called on Nigerians to join them but Nigerians disappointed them because Nigerians have come to agree with the reality that the election was free and fair, so they decided to abandon the PDP elements.”
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