From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The recent Supreme Court verdict, confirming the victory of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the validly elected president of Nigeria after several months of legal fireworks that raged among the frontline candidates for the highly contentious February 25 presidential election, has finally laid to rest the true winner of the poll.
Expectedly, the judgment, which reverberated across the country and some parts of the world, has completely foreclosed the chances of the duo of Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) respectively, actualising their lofty dreams of presiding over the affairs of the country for now.
Many analysts believe it was a legal battle won and lost on technicalities and technical grounds. Interestingly, the verdict was a victory that has successfully ended every legal and physical encumbrance distracting and stagnating the efforts and plans of President Tinubu from delivering on his campaign promises to Nigerians.
And to confirm that successes and victory have literally many siblings and relations, endless encomiums have continued to pour in torrents to felicitate with President Tinubu over the Supreme Court triumph.
From the National Assembly to the executive, to even the judiciary, the leadership of the ruling party, chieftains of the opposition parties, and the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), it has been an endless shower of commendations and show of solidarity to President Tinubu since the verdict was given last week.
The reactions from the supporters and loyal persons were almost the same. In their defence, they commended the Supreme Court for courageously meeting their expectations even as they appealed to the opposition candidates to sheathe their swords and wait for the next presidential election or mockingly after President Tinubu has completed his two tenures.
Speaking to newsmen during their unity rally, CSOs, under the umbrella of Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative, had specifically and scornfully pleaded with Atiku and Peter Obi, not to run out of the country but to stay and contribute to the progress of the country.
National coordinator of the coalition, Comrade Okpokwu Ogenyi, said: “We wish to reiterate and call on all those who participated in the last presidential election that they are welcome to join the new Nigeria of our dream, an egalitarian nation where peace and justice shall reign.
“We specifically singled out the candidates of PDP’s Atiku and LP’s Peter Obi, not to abandon Nigeria. It is our opinion that they should stay back and contribute meaningfully to the project Nigeria. We believe that as citizens of Nigeria, one must not become a president or vice president before he or she can make a meaningful contribution to the development of our nation.
“Atiku, as a former vice president, and Obi as a former governor should not hesitate to give appropriate advice devoid of politics and self-aggrandisement. They should continue to reign in their supporters to embrace peace and tranquility.
“For now, the struggle for political power has ended for the duo but that does not mean they do not have an opportunity in future. Therefore, before the said future will come, there is need to cooperate with the incumbent and ensure that we all succeed together as a nation,” the coalition noted.
If the coalition were diplomatic in their appeals, APC national chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, was merciless when he specifically taunted the duo to wait till 2031 to try their luck in actualising their presidential dreams.
“Nigeria belongs to all of us; it is our responsibility as patriots to pool our resources together to move the country forward. I congratulate both Atiku and Obi for their dogged fight in extending the frontiers of our democracy and law.
“This is democracy. Tinubu’s victory is another victory for democratic rule in the country. There is still room for both Obi and Atiku to actualise their presidential aspiration after the second term tenure of President Tinubu in 2031,” he derided, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Edwin Olofu.
However, it was not all acclamations for the victorious as the opposition parties furiously dismissed the verdict, describing it as a sham, rape of justice and rule of law, and expressed grave concerns on the impacts of the judgment.
The statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, read: “The PDP asserts that it is indeed a sad commentary for our democracy that the Supreme Court failed to uphold the provisions of the law. Instead, it trashed the expectation of the majority of Nigerians who looked up to it as a temple of impartiality to deliver substantial justice in the matter having regard to the laws and facts of the case.
“Nigerians earnestly expected the Supreme Court to uphold and defend the clear provisions of the 1999 Constitution in terms of qualification and minimum requirement for a winner to be declared in a presidential election in Nigeria, especially with regards to the required statutory 25 per cent of votes in the FCT as well as issues of violation of electoral rules and guidelines, brazen manipulations and alterations of election results by the APC,” the PDP chided in the statement.
LP did not also spare the apex court from ventilating its anger. In a statement from its national chairman, Julius Abure, it called the judgment “another sad day for democracy in Nigeria” admitting that; “it was very shocking and surprising” that even the apex court would toe the line of an earlier judgment in spite of all the flaws associated with it.
“We are also calling on the international community to rise to the occasion to defend democracy in Nigeria. Your voices were loud and clear in condemnation of the outcome of the presidential election. As we approach the next stage of our democratic journey, we call on you to stand by the millions of Nigerians who are already pushed beyond their limits into unnecessary hardship and penury.
“Finally, we urge Nigerians not to lose hope in our country. Though we are paying a huge price to achieve the Nigeria of our desire, we are hopeful that we will get to our destination someday because where there is a will, certainly, there will be a way. A new Nigeria is still possible.”
However, beyond the razzmatazz, commendations, criticisms, and attacks that have polarised Nigerians along many divides since the delivery of the judgment, the development has already started fuelling speculations on the impacts, positively or negatively, the verdict might have on the conduct of the forthcoming off-cycle governorship elections in the three states of Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi.
Described as judgment without justice, there have been concerns in many quarters that it will embolden major political actors in the states participating in the governorship elections to commit electoral malfeasance with impunity and seek cover or use the judiciary to authenticate their actions.
For many pundits and several concerned Nigerians, if the Supreme Court in its exalted position as the temple of justice could be so influenced not to provide justice, it would result in a spiral effect of encouraging the political actors to commit electoral infractions and seek the protection of the justice system.
There have been palpable fears that the verdict would arrogate courage on the major political actors in the states to harbour plans of deploying negative antics during the elections.
Under the same political party platform, according to observers, the governors in the states might be motivated to do the unthinkable during the poll and seek authentication in the legal corridor.
Again, as most students of history will recall about Nigeria’s democracy as a country where the presidency has overwhelming influence in determining the outcome of elections in many states, the Supreme Court legitimising President Tinubu’s victory may send a negative signal to the opposition to expect the unthinkable.
Obviously, in line with the tradition, any party candidate the presidency backs, most times look like an automatic ticket to victory because of the belief that the presidency can easily manipulate every instrument of coercion to favour the party candidates it endorsed.
“One President after another would pontificate, declare, and even promise not to interfere in the conduct of transparent, free, and fair elections. However, history has proved that it was only a principle and theory devoid of practical reality,” an APC leader told Daily Sun in confidence.
His comment was, therefore, a confirmation that part of the apprehensions is the possibility of President Tinubu, who is an apostle of the political theory of power not served a la carte, to provide a conducive level playing ground for the contestants.
Not oblivious of the fears in many quarters, the President, like his predecessors, has issued reverberating messages of assurances and hopes that he would be an unbiased arbiter in ensuring the conduct of a free and transparent exercise in the November 11 polls.
The assurances from President Tinubu came through his National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, who also declared the battle-readiness of the security agencies to protect persons and materials before, during, and after the election.
Speaking when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, held a consultative meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) in the office of the NSA, the president promised to use the poll to make a bold statement.
Hear him: “Nothing is as important as a free and fair election in a democracy. That we can assure you, this government is ready to provide that. Mr President has given his orders. He said he wants to see free, fair, credible elections.
“This is going to be the first election to be conducted under his watch. He said that we should take this message to INEC and to Nigerians that he is going to be very much available to support INEC to ensure Nigeria will have free and fair elections.
“He wants me to also tell everyone, including the politicians, that nothing is much more important than to have a free and fair election if we want this country to move forward. He is a democrat, he believes in democracy. He will support INEC.
“Already, we have seen it in the entire requirement we have put out to him and he has given us the go-ahead. The entire security forces and all our requirements have been met, the rest is for us to deliver.”
However, holding the promise with a pinch of salt, LP chieftain, Chief Peter Ameh, had warned, in his telephone chat with Daily Sun that it would be suicidal for anybody to believe such message of assurance from President Tinubu.
Ameh, a former chairman of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), strongly believes that the promise to conduct a free and fair election by President Tinubu can never be trusted.
Asked about the effects the Supreme Court ruling will have on the forthcoming governorship election, Ameh urged the electorate to ignore him and take their destinies into their own hands by voting and protecting their votes for the candidates of their choice.
He said: “The verdict of the Supreme Court cannot affect the outcome of the election because the Nigerian electorate are wiser now. They have seen that what the apex court delivered was not justice but judgment which did not measure up to legal standards.
“If you look at what the Supreme Court did, technical issues that bother on integrity, fairness, and accountability with INEC were treated with kid’s gloves. What is certain is that Nigerians are getting tired of the whole thing about rigging, judging by what they saw during the 2023 general election; they are ready to take their future in their hands by confronting the common threats that will better the lives of all of us.
“Nigerians are ready to confront those coming with violence to the polling units, violence for violence, and force for force, in deciding the outcome of those elections in the states.
“My concern is that INEC did not also help matters in proving itself as an independent and incorruptible institution. It promised to conduct a free and fair election and transmit, real-time, the results of the elections, but the commission failed many Nigerians.
“For damaging the integrity of the election, nobody trusts the commission any longer again. But beyond the promises of Mr President to conduct a transparent election, this poll will provide an opportunity for the commission to personally redeem its battered reputation.
“Since INEC chairman will not be there forever, history now beckons on him to redirect the sinking ship of the electoral commission and reduce the negative impression he created for himself in the last general election, which many Nigerians have not forgiven him. He failed in ensuring that the election will not only be seen as fair but also credible and transparent.”
Speaking further, Ameh cautioned: “I am sure that the outcome of the elections in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi will not be influenced by the Supreme Court ruling. They are already aware that Nigeria is on the brink of collapse and any attempt to worsen the situation by taking Nigerians for a ride again and making us look as if we don’t know what we are doing, will not be good for the development of this country.”
Warning those preparing to adopt any anti-democratic antics, Ameh said: “Nigerians have fixed their minds on the November 11 governorship election and resolved that the votes must count. I am sure that it is going to be an entirely different thing from what we saw during the general election.”
“As for the promise, banking on Tinubu’s assurance to conduct a free and transparent election may come with woes and regret because party loyalty will certainly come into play. The electorate will certainly not rely on the promise from President Tinubu to conduct credible elections.
“They will rely on the enlightened nature of the electorate to vote and protect their votes. We should not take his promises with any seriousness. Buhari made such promises not to interfere, but we saw what happened afterward.”
With the antecedents of the governors of Imo, Hope Uzodimma and Kogi, Yahaya Bello, towards winning elections, it remains to be seen how the verdict of the Supreme Court will not influence the outcome of the forthcoming off-cycle governorship elections.
Quote: “One President after another would pontificate, declare, and even promise not to interfere in the conduct of transparent, free, and fair elections. However, history has proved that it was only a principle and theory devoid of practical reality”
