Ayuba Sanusi
THE Supreme Court of Nigeria says there was no conversation between the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Olukayode Ariwoola, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu regarding the outcome of the election petition tribunal.
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mr Peter Obi, standard bearers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP), respectively are challenging the declaration of Mr Tinubu by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the winner of the 25th February 2023 election.
Abubakar and Obi recently filed and moved their final written addresses after closing their respective cases at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal sitting at the Court of Appeal complex, Abuja.
The tribunal is yet to fix a day for judgment in the petitions.
However, Jackson Ude, a Twitter user, had claimed that the president spoke with the CJN over the outcome of the pending petitions.
Ude alleged that the CJN told Tinubu to prepare for a rerun election.
Reacting to the allegation in a statement on Wednesday, Festus Akande, spokesperson of the Supreme Court, described the claim as “false”.
“it is imperative to state clearly that there is no iota of truth in the narrative, as there was no such telephone conversation between the CJN and anyone,” Akande said.
“Nigerians have been following the proceedings at the presidential election petition tribunal with admirable enthusiasm.
“So, it is advisable we all sustain the tempo and follow it up to the end, instead of relapsing into the realm of speculations and rumour peddling that will not do anyone any good.
“If this current trend of falsehood and mudslinging is sustained, our nation may not make the desired progress.
“The courts are statutorily established to serve the best interest of the masses and we are ever poised to do that to the best of our ability.
“We wish to plead with everyone to cooperate with the judiciary to serve the country to its full capacity, as no one will ever be favoured against the other in any dispute.
“The rule of law and supremacy of the Nigerian Constitution will always be upheld and applied in every matter that comes before the courts; as the facts presented and the subsisting laws must be applied in determining the merit or otherwise of each matter.
“The public should rest assured that justice will be done to all matters pending in the various courts across the country, irrespective of who is involved.”
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has also denied the allegation by Ude. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka described the claim by Jackson Ude as “mischievous“.
Morka expressed disappointment over the development, saying he was shocked that Ude or anybody could go as far as spreading falsehood with a serious national issue.
He added that the claim was a figment of Ude’s imagination
The statement reads “We have become aware of a decidedly mischievous and intentionally misleading tweet by one Mr Jackson Ude.
”He alleged that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was in a telephone conversation with the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, in which the CJN purportedly told the President and APC to prepare for a presidential election rerun.
“It is disturbing and disgraceful for Mr Ude to fabricate a falsehood of this kind on a matter of serious national importance that is actively under review by the Presidential Election Petitions Court (PEPC).
“President Tinubu and our Party won the last Presidential election without a doubt, and do not have any need to engage in side conversations with the CJN regarding pending petitions before the PEPC.
“As the core democrat that he is, the President respects the right of aggrieved Candidates in the election to seek redress for any grievances that they may have. The Constitution and Electoral Act provide effective guarantees of that right.
“The PEPC should be afforded the time and space to perform its important constitutional and statutory duty of adjudicating and delivering a verdict in the matter without needlessly calling the integrity of our Judges into question.
“Falsehood and conjecture by the likes of Mr Ude only aim to inflame political passions, create doubt and panic, and preemptively undermine the verdict of the Courts in this important matter.
“We are confident that Nigerians are smarter and more discerning than to be affected by this opposition brand of tasteless and crass mercenary expedition.”
Eighteen-Eleven Media