Presidency on Monday mocked the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, following ruling by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal rejecting the party’s request to inspect the central server of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The PDP and its presidential candidate had insisted on the existence of the central server, citing several public statements and budgetary provisions for same made by INEC prior to the February 23rd presidential polls.
But the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu in a statement described the ruling as “ landmark”, adding that “attempt to cause the determination of an issue that constitutes the fulcrum of contention between the parties, at an interlocutory stage, was rejected by the tribunal.
According to the presidency, “In a landmark ruling by the Presidential Election Tribunal, a desperate attempt by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to overreach judicial process was overwhelmingly rejected by a unanimous decision and the long standing principle of law has once again been re-enacted”
“What this means is that Justice and fair hearing through due contest by the parties of a major issue for determination remains sacrosanct and remains considerable by the tribunal upon according parties just and fair hearing and not the other way round.
“The election petitions tribunal unanimously rejected the PDP’s request to inspect a server which existence is being disputed.
Presidency said the “the existence of a purported server is being contested and if a purported inspection had been allowed at this stage, it would have amounted to the determination that it indeed existed even when its existence is being contested”
Presidency, while relying on the Electoral Act of 2010, as amended, claimed that “The electoral law prescribes manual transmission of results only and this was what the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) did, in obedience to the law as witnessed by real electoral observers.”
According to the presidency, “YIAGA Africa deployed 3906 real individuals to run a parallel tabulation which returned the same results the INEC announced.
“Last week, the final reports of the International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute (IRI/NDI) electoral observer mission made clear that the results of the election reflected the votes cast
“President Muhammadu Buhari won with a majority of four million votes and because only real votes matter, INEC announced him as the winner of the 2019 presidential election.
Tony Ailemen, Abuja
