The All Progressives Congress (APC) has responded to the objections raised by Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) regarding President Bola Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 election. Atiku and Obi argued that Tinubu should not have been declared the winner because he did not receive at least 25 percent of the valid votes in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. However, the APC considers their claims to be baseless and absurd.
In its final written addresses submitted to the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) on July 14, 2023, the ruling party, through its lead counsel Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), contended that the voters in Abuja do not possess the power to singularly determine the outcome of a presidential election. Fagbemi argued that Nigeria is a federation with 36 constituent units, including the Federal Capital Territory, which is not a state but is inhabited by all Nigerians with equal voting rights.
The APC further stated that granting the FCT preferential treatment over other states would contradict the principle of electoral spread. The party emphasized that a presidential candidate should not be required to score 25 percent of the votes cast in the FCT to be declared the winner, regardless of their level of acceptance in other parts of the country. According to the APC, any interpretation of the constitution that grants the FCT veto power over the presidential election outcome in the 36 states is nonsensical.
According to The Sun, Addressing the alleged non-compliance with the Electoral Act, INEC regulations, and the election conduct manual, the APC argued that the petitioners failed to provide evidence supporting their claims. The party asserted that the petitioners should have presented the electoral forms and equipment allegedly involved in non-compliance in open court for examination.
Regarding the accusation that INEC did not electronically transmit the election results, the APC responded by stating that the petitioners failed to prove this allegation. The party argued that the petitioners did not present credible evidence to establish fraudulent alteration of the results during the collation process.
In conclusion, the APC urged the PEPC to dismiss Atiku and Obi’s petitions and uphold Tinubu’s declaration as the winner of the February 25 presidential election.
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