Atiku vs Buhari: What Ozekhome Said After Supreme Court Ruling

One of the legal counsel to the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mike Ozekhome, has revealed why the Supreme Court delivered a short and quick ruling.

Naija News reported that the Supreme Court had on Wednesday dismissed the case instituted by Atiku and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the 2019 election victory of President Buhari, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The apex court ruled against the PDP and its candidate and in favour of the APC and its candidate. It noted that the suit instituted by Atiku and the PDP lacked merit.

The seven-man panel of the court, headed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Mohammed in a unanimous judgement, affirmed that President Muhammadu Buhari was validly elected as Nigeria’s President in the February 23 presidential election.

The Supreme Court panel, however, said it will give reasons for its decision at a later date.

Speaking to newsmen after the ruling, Ozekhome stated that he believes the short ruling of the Apex Court dismissing his client’s appeal without reason was to douse tension gripping the nation.

He said: “At least today, the baby has been delivered, not aborted even if the baby is malformed.

“It is not the issue but the thing is the baby has been delivered but what manner of baby it is, what ingredients make up the being of the baby, we do not know yet?

“Those are the reasons the apex court said they will tell Nigerians and the world for dismissing this appeal as lacking in merit, we cannot say more than this because we have not heard the reasons.

“As far as the Justices are concerned, they have done the best they could under the strangulating regime of electoral jurisprudence.

“With the Supreme Court saying that the timeline provided in the Constitution is like the rock of Gibraltar, that cannot be moved, so you are being beaten, your hands are tied to the back and you are not even allowed to cry.”

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria also called for a change in Nigeria’s electoral laws and electoral jurisprudence.

He added that change in the electoral laws would make people believe that when they vote, their votes would not only be counted but that such votes must also count.