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As the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) is set to begin sitting on Monday, May 8, 2023, a former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd), has called on Nigerians to accept in good faith the decision of the court, when eventually delivered.
He made the appeal while speaking at the 15th edition of the PUNUKA Annual Lecture and symposium in honour of a one-time Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Chike Idigbe, in Abuja on Thursday, May 4, 2023.
The former military Head of State also urged aggrieved politicians to allow the courts to do their work without interference, adding that the sanctity of the court must be respected by all the stakeholders.
Gowon's words: “As we move forward as a nation, let us not forget the role that the Judiciary plays in nation-building, especially the apex court, in carrying out its duty of questioning the veracity of the decisions of the lower court.
“As such, we need to allow the apex court their deliberations and come up with their decisions, and as the public, to be humble to accept their decision as final in order to maintain the sanctity of the judiciary as individuals and as an institution.
“This is very important at this stage given the post-election litigation that is now going on.
“Let us give the judiciary the opportunity to do their work and let us accept their decision as it is.”
Gowon, who acknowledged the challenges bedevilling the country since independence, also emphasised the crucial role of the judiciary in building and keeping the nation united.
“The judiciary, in essence, is the guardian of the constitution and the rule of law… As a former head of state, I have seen and known firsthand the importance of the judiciary in maintaining stability and order in our society,” he added.
The former military ruler's appeal comes amid the ongoing controversy over the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, at the February 25 presidential election.
Since the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, declared him the winner on March 1, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar and his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi, have refused to acknowledge Tinubu's victory.
The duo and their parties accused INEC of manipulating the process to favour the former Lagos State governor by refusing to upload results from polling units on its results viewing portal in real-time as promised before the election.
INEC said Tinubu polled a total of 8.8 million votes to defeat Atiku and Obi who scored 6.9 million votes and 6.1 million votes apiece to finish second and third, respectively.