According to VANGUARD, in anticipation of the impending verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) scheduled for Wednesday, Chief Bode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), conveyed a compelling message to the judiciary during a state-of-the-nation press conference in Lagos. He strongly emphasized the need to maintain the integrity of the electoral process.
George firmly contended that, regardless of the tribunal’s eventual declaration regarding the election’s winner, if the judiciary were to install anyone as president through the flawed procedures of the recent election, it would bring shame upon the nation.
He ardently asserted that the entire process of the last election was marred by flaws. Consequently, George urged the Tribunal to direct the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh election, even if it necessitated repeating the process multiple times. In support of this stance, he pointed to Kenya, where a Supreme Court ruling led to a peaceful and renewed electoral exercise.
George raised a poignant question: “If they pronounce Mr. A or Mr. B as the winner of that shambolic election, would democracy in Nigeria be redefined as the government of the judiciary, for the judiciary, and by the judiciary? Is that what we consider a democracy?”
Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), and Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), are challenging President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s victory in the February 25th election at the Tribunal.
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