By Stanley Ugagbe
The Presidency has berated former Vice President and candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar over his comments on the Supreme Court verdict on Osun election.
The former Nigerian number two citizen, reacting to the verdict had in a statement said “I urge the nation’s judiciary to take a pulse of the nation and reflect it. In their hands, God has placed a great responsibility. The duty to ensure that justice is done, irrespective of the pressure to do otherwise, by the powers that be.”
Reacting to his remarks, the Presidency in a statement by Femi Adesina said “The Presidency finds very ridiculous, and even comical, reaction of former Vice President and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to the Supreme Court ruling affirming the election of Mr Gboyega Oyetola as governor of Osun State”.
“Many things fly in the face of logic, reason, and legality in this portion of the statement. Alhaji Abubakar urged the judiciary to reflect the pulse of the nation in their judgments. Learned people know that the judiciary comes to conclusions drawing from matters of law placed before it, and not sentiments, or so-called “pulse of the nation.”
“A pertinent question is: how does the judiciary gauge the pulse of the nation? Is it even positioned to do such? Is the judiciary established for that purpose, or to dispense justice, even if the Heavens fall?”
The President’s Media spokesperson also noted that there is insinuation of inducement in the statement, when the PDP candidate said the judiciary should ensure justice is done, “irrespective of the pressure to do otherwise, by the powers that be.”
Adesina said “We see this as an attempt to browbeat the judiciary, thus causing it to entertain sentiment in the ongoing petition on the presidential election before the tribunal. If anybody has the tendency or proclivity to put pressure on the judiciary, Nigerians know where the finger points and it is definitely not at President Muhammadu Buhari. This was a man who had thrice taken his electoral challenges to the judiciary, up to the Supreme Court. And not once was he accused of trying to influence the process, or put pressure on the courts”.
He further remarked that when the All Progressives Congress (APC) lost Zamfara and Rivers States, arising from judicial proclamations, there was no “pressure to do otherwise, by the powers that be,” stressing that “now that the victory of the party in Osun was upheld, there is insinuation of pressure from those who have never learnt to play straight”.
Adesina concluded that “President Buhari has always been committed to fair play, which was clearly evident in the last general elections. He remains committed to even-handedness and justice always”.
