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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has predicted that Nigeria will erupt in celebration if President Bola Tinubu's victory in the 2023 general elections is nullified by the court.
This comes as all the parties involved in the petitions against the declaration of Tinubu by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the winner of the February 25 contest await the verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT).
Talking about his party's expectations ahead of the judgement, Director of Strategy and Research of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Pedro Obaseki, said Tinubu losing at the tribunal will be a watershed moment for the country.
Obaseki said these when he addressed the press on Wednesday, July 19, 2023. He also expressed confidence that the PDP believed in the ability of the judiciary to deliver a fair and impartial judgement that would be acceptable to all the interested parties.
According to him, the mountain of evidence at the disposal of the tribunal judges will give them the courage to address issues raised judiciously, adding that the judges will also be concerned about the image of the country that is at stake.
Obaseki, who is also a lawyer, touched on the petition filed by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) seeking to nullify Tinubu’s victory, noting that the “issue of eligibility is key”.
The PDP chieftain said: “There is still a watershed moment and that moment might just be provided by the Allied Peoples Movement petition in this election. That does not in any way discontinuance the other mounting evidence. We were here when the election took place, we were here when the election were declared and we are still waiting for those that want to celebrate, they have not celebrated.
“You may be shocked that immediately there is a judgment that does not validate the supposed election of President Tinubu people will run into the street to celebrate, that is the truth.”
Highlighting the differences between the APM case and that of the PDP, he said, “The first thing is eligibility, if ten people follow me to run a race I can begin to question who won, only if those ten people were qualified, that is what has been thrown up by the APM petition.”
The APM has based its petition against Tinubu on the assumption that the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, had double nomination as Senatorial and running mate before the presidential election.
Obaseki said “If you look at what APM has done, they started by why and when they can question an election and stated three clear provisions, when elections can be questioned, such as section 134 of the Electoral Act of 2022 as amended.
“As at the day of the nomination process, Mr Shettima had two nominations, that is a statement of fact. That is what this petition by the APM has gone ahead to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, the reasonable doubt will only occur if the petition is based on hearsay.”