Former Nigeria Vice President and presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has told the Presidential Election Petitions Court that heavens would not fall if the court resolves that Bola Tinubu was unlawfully declared president and subsequently removes him from office.
Atiku declared this in his final written address in support of his petition challenging the declaration of Tinubu as winner of the February 25 presidential election.
Atuku said the fact that a presidential election had never been nullified before in Nigeria was not good enough reason for the tribunal to avoid doing the right thing.
Arguing against the submission of Tinubu that nullifying the February 25 presidential election on account of interpretation of the 25 per cent of votes cast in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) could lead to chaos in the country, Atiku said nothing like that would happen if the tribunal reached such verdict.
He said, “At this stage, it is pertinent to observe from the outset that the Second Respondent’s Final Written Address, with respect, reflects a complete misconception and unfortunate misunderstanding of the case of the Petitioners.”
Lead counsel to Atiku and PDP, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, said in the final address, “A subtle threat of apocalyptic catastrophe of national chaos and anarchy if a judgement is not given in a particular manner cannot deter a court of law from doing justice.
“The court must do justice, rather ‘let the heavens fall’ but as courageously stated by the Supreme Court per Oguntade JSC, in the epic case of AMAECHI vs. INEC & ORS (2008) LPELR-446(SC) (Pp. 67-68 paras. D): ‘I must do justice even if the heavens fall.’ The truth, of course, is that when justice has been done, the heavens stay in place.”
Uche urged PREPEC to adopt a proactive approach to its interpretation of the new laws and application of the new technologies in order not to stifle the principles of transparency and integrity, being the bedrock of constitutional democracy.
