PEPT: How judiciary can allay doubt of Nigerians – Diaspora group

By Obinna Nnorom

A political group,  ‘Atiku Diaspora Support Group’, rooting for the presidential ambition of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the PDP Candidate in the Feb. 25 Presidential Election says Nigerians’ misgivings about the poll would only be assuaged if the judiciary remained independent.

The Founder of the group, High Chief Franklin Ekechukwu, said in a statement on Monday in Lagos that the group remained “very optimistic”, that the outcome of the court would favour Atiku.

Ekechukwu said: “If the judiciary, in this case, the tribunal follows the rule of law, and address the case according to the electoral law, and constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, the Nigerian people will be satisfied with it judgement.

“It is very clear that a lot of violations of the law were committed. The inability to follow set down rules and regulations of the INEC was evident before, during and after the election.

Ekechukwu

“Setting individual feeling aside, Nigerian people want what the world wants, which is, for the Nigeria judiciary to exert its independence under the law.

“It must follow the rule of law and uphold the constitution of Nigeria no matter whose Ox is gored, if they do that, I believe that the Nigerian people will be satisfied.”

Expressing hope in the about-to-be-pronounced verdict of the tribunal, Ekechukwu said that it would be “very unlikely that the tribunal will rule differently from the desires of the people and against the law”.

The founder added that the tribunal ruling differently would be going against the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, “and that will simply mean that the judiciary was compromised. I am hoping that the law takes precedent over individual interests.”

He however said that preempting the decision of the judiciary would be premature.
Ekechukwu said that the disqualification of the other candidates would automatically make the PDP’s Atiku the President.

According to him, going by the case before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal l, APC candidate, Bola Tinunu had too much baggage against him for the court to adjudicate.

He listed such baggage to include forgery of the documents, falsification of information, double nomination, manipulation of election results and others.

“From the APM suit, we just learned that the fourteen-day time frame, allowed by the constitution, and by law to replace a candidate after Masari resigned elapsed before Shettima was nominated making him an invalid candidate so on and so forth,” he said.

On the other hand, Ekechukwu said that the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Candidate, Mr Peter Obi, had only one count of double nomination, and not being a member of party or invalid candidacy against him brought by the APC Candidate.

He reiterated: “Now if the judiciary maintains its independence and uphold the law, which I believe it will, anything short of disqualification will be miscarriage of justice and the end of democracy in Nigeria.

“My confidence rises from the belief that the judiciary will uphold the law, I understand that Nigerians have lost hope in the judiciary, but I feel this is a unique but rare opportunity for the judiciary to take back the position as the last authority in the democratic system.”

Ekechukwu said that the EU and other Observer groups reports on the Presidential Election were the final indication that INEC who supposed to be an unbiased umpire were compromised.

According to him, the observers’ reports further supported Atiku’s claims about the candidate.

“It is sad to say this, it is not that the INEC is unable to conduct a credible election in Nigeria, it is that people allowed themselves to be compromised due to financial gain or reasons best known to them.

“By lacking integrity, INEC broke the law, and compromised the election, which by law is pure treason, and very unpatriotic.

“The judiciary should follow the law, and the very important evidence that were presented to the tribunal to arrive to its judgement, which of course includes the observers reports, must not be ignored.

” The eye of the world is watching Nigeria, most importantly, the judiciary,” he said.

Ekechukwu said that he did not only see the tribunal nullifying the election, but also saw tribunal disqualifying the necessary candidates.

He said that the President Bola Tinubu’s claim that that nullifying the election would throw Nigeria into chaos, Ekechukwu described such position as laughable.

Ekechukwu urged the judiciary to do the right thing to earn for itself the lost glory