Atiku denies congratulating Tinubu, says Tribunal verdict ‘electoral banditry’

• Atiku said the statement claiming that he congratulated Tinubu was fake
• He noted that it was part of an orchestrated plot by those desperately looking for validation

The Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the February 25, 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, says president Bola Tinubu usurped the mandate of Nigerians.

This is as he denied reports that he congratulated Tinubu after the judgment of the presidential election petition tribunal.

In a statement allegedly issued by the Media Adviser to the former Vice President, Mr. Paul Ibe, Atiku describe Tinubu’s victory at the tribunal as electoral banditry.

He said the statement claiming that he congratulated Tinubu was fake and part of an orchestrated plot by those desperately looking for validation for the usurpation of the mandate of Nigerians.

Ibe said, “ Atiku couldn’t have validated electoral banditry because doing so would have amounted to a rape on the conscience of Nigerians who have struggled for years to entrench electoral integrity.

“if their conscience is clear and they are convinced that their victory is valid, they don’t have to blackmail their political opponents into congratulating them through fake news.”

“Why should a man be desperate for validation? Does truth require validation? Why should you issue a congratulatory statement and attribute it to Atiku if your conscience is not troubled by the electoral heist you have perpetrated,” he queried.

“Contrary to the fake news being circulated by Tinubu propagandists, Atiku has already asked his lawyers to proceed to the Supreme Court to challenge the judgement of the election petition tribunal.”

To confirm that the purported message is fake and pedestrian, it was addressed to the “President-elect.” Though we know it is a pyrrhic victory, is it not ridiculous to still address Bola Tinubu as “President-elect” five months after swearing-in?

Ibe further said, “This struggle is not about Atiku; it’s about Nigeria and the future of our democracy. By allowing election riggers to get away with their misdeeds, our democracy will be in greater jeopardy. Consent is essential to democratic mandate; ruling people against their will undermines everything democracy stands for.”

He also explained that the PDP presidential candidate is not going into retirement and will instead continue to be part of the struggle to deepen democracy in the country.

Ibe also said, “The Waziri has nothing personal against President Tinubu. He owes him no ill will. Let me, however, make it very clear that this struggle is about principle and justice. He is not in this struggle because he hates Tinubu.

“He is in it to ensure that people who rigged elections are not allowed to get away with it. Injustice and rigging promote bitterness and division. No leader should be proud to lead angry and aggrieved citizens.”