Dismissal of Atiku, Obi’s petitions, mockery of justice system – HURIWA

Civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has described the dismissal of the petitions filed by the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, as a mockery of the justice system of Nigeria.

HURIWA in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, described the judgment as a mockery of justice and warned that it may encourage violence in the future.

Onwubiko said, “The Supreme Court of Nigeria did not perform the unthinkable, neither did the conservative and traditionalist justices of the apex court perform any miracle by upstaging or invalidating the election of the incumbent President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria because it did what most critics and civil rights leaders already predicted in its ruling when it controversially and incredibly held that the appeal filed by the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, lacked merit.

“The court known for always upholding elections of all the civilian presidents whose elections have been contested before them since 1979, also dismissed Mr Peter Obi’s petition from the Labour Party just as the Supreme Court by refusing to admit fresh evidence from Atiku Abubakar that shows clearly that President Tinubu as the Presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress, had presented a dud and fake certificate of Chicago State University which the US-based educational faculty denied knowing about it before a US Court, has conveyed the wrong message that institutionally, forging academic certificates doesn’t matter to the court system in Nigeria.

“The Atiku Abubakar’s team that appeared in that US Court were also given evidence to show that the secondary school that Tinubu claimed to have graduated in 1970 in Lagos state was only established in 1974.

“This Supreme Court’s twin distorted and crime-ridden judgment is a final testament to the fact that it is of no moment or consequences if candidates for election present fake certificates provided they can muster the capacity to manipulate the electoral process and get into the office before the determination of any litigation challenging their crooked electoral victory or have enough dollar denominated cash to bribe judges.

“Human Rights Writers Association Of Nigeria (HURIWA), had earlier predicted that the Supreme Court of Nigeria is too ethically challenged and morally unprincipled to rule on points of law but will rely on technicalities to maintain the status quo. The Supreme Court has cemented the unfortunate collapse of a free, fair transparent electoral system. Nigerians must come together, and decide to rescue our government and country from the corrupt ruling class and the morally corrosive judiciary in Nigeria.

“The judgment is farcical and a mockery of justice but at the same time political contests henceforth especially at the level of Presidential Election, will become violent and a ‘Survival By the Fittest’ just as ‘Might is Right’ has been validated by these wrong-headed judgments of the Supreme Court which invariably, has told the world that the next presidential poll will be a do or die affair because hoping on obtaining Justice in the hijacked, compromised and corrupt supreme court is a sheer waste of time, human resources and finance”.

To this end, Onwubiko advised the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar to quit politics and pursue statesmanship.

He said, “We advise Atiku Abubakar to quit politics and become a statesman and allow youngsters like Peter Obi and few other good people to refocus and re-energise opposition party to wrestle power if the laws are made to remove the powers of appointment of INEC Chairman and electoral officials by the President. HURIWA expects Atiku Abubakar to be a statesman and campaign for proper electoral reforms so political cases are decided before any level of government is sworn in after the election”.