‘Uphold INEC’s announcement that I won in 21 states, declare me president’ – Atiku tells tribunal

Abubakar Atiku, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) candidate for president in the most recent election, has asked the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to uphold the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration that he (Atiku) won 21 states in the presidential election on February 25.

In support of his joint suit with the PDP asking for the annulment of INEC’s announcement of Ahmed Bola Tinubu as the election’s victor, Atiku made the demand on Friday in his closing address.

Atiku stated that INEC’s claim that he won in 25 states was not questioned, repudiated, refuted, or declared to be an error through the tribunal’s processes up to that point, according to the final statement made by his lead attorney, Chris Uche SAN.

The PDP presidential candidate won 21 states in the Federation in the most recent presidential election, according to INEC’s response to Atiku’s petition.

According to INEC, Atiku and the PDP won 21 of the states, including Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Ekiti, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Osun, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara.

The former vice president said that the tribunal should proceed to support the declaration since the electoral commission, which on its own assertions declared that he won those states and did refute the assumption throughout the hearings.

Very notably, the first respondent (INEC), who administered the election, made an open admission in paragraph 18 of its reply to the petition, where it unambiguously said the following:

“The 1st Respondent further avers that in compliance with extant laws and regulations, it diligently discharged its duties when it collated the 1st Petitioner’s (Atiku) scores at the election, which aggregate to 6,984,520, winning only 21 states, to wit: Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Ekiti, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Osun, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.

In fact, as first Respondent (INEC) acknowledged, the first Petitioner (Atiku) triumphed in these 21 states. It is significant to note that the first Respondent (INEC) did not dispute, contradict, or deny this crucial allegation at any point during the trial.

“We implore your Lordship to rule that this counts as an acknowledgment that doesn’t need any more support. Additionally, it amounts to an admission against interest.

As a result, Atiku begged the Tribunal to affirm INEC’s claim in the proceeding and certify him the victor of the February 25 presidential election.