The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has alleged that Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), are plotting to threaten and arrest judges of the Presidential Election Petition Court. The court is hearing the petitions filed by Atiku and other candidates challenging Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 election.
Atiku, in a statement by his media adviser, Paul Ibe, said that Tinubu and the APC are trying to manipulate and intimidate the judiciary to get a favourable judgment. He said that this is a repeat of what happened in 2019, when they removed the Chief Justice of Nigeria and replaced him with Tanko Muhammad, who later resigned over corruption allegations.
Atiku also accused the Department of State Services (DSS) of disobeying court orders to release or charge Godwin Emefiele, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), who was arrested and detained by the DSS over alleged fraud. He said that the DSS is undermining Tinubu’s rule of law records and called on him to sack the Director General of DSS, Yusuf Bichi.
Tinubu, through his counsel, Wole Olanipekun, has dismissed Atiku’s claims as arrant nonsense and urged him to allow the judiciary to perform its sacred duty. He said that Atiku has no case against him and that he won the election fair and square. He also defended Emefiele’s arrest and detention as part of the anti-corruption war.
