You can’t intimidate judiciary, INEC, pro-democracy group tells Atiku, Obi

A pro-democracy group, The Natives, has cautioned opposition presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, against the intimidating the judiciary and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over their grievances on the outcome of February 25 presidential election.

Atiku and Obi rejected declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the President-elect.

The opposition parties have challenged the declaration at the Presidential Election Tribunal and their leaders, members and supporters have embarked on a protest in Abuja to the INEC headquarters demanding the resignation of the Chairman of the electoral body and the outright cancellation of the election.

But in a peaceful solidarity walk in Abuja, the Natives said the supporters of APC and the President-elect will no longer take lightly the intimidation by the supporters of Peter Obi (Obidients) and Atiku Abubakar (Articulates).

Led by their Supreme Leader, Hon. Smart Edwards in a “Thank-you walk” to President Muhammadu Buhari in the presidential Villa, Monday in Abuja, the group warned the two presidential candidates to caution their supporters from overheating the polity.

The group argued that if the parties and their candidates have grievances against the results as declared by the INEC they should go to court instead of threatening the peace of the country and its democratic process.

Edwards said: “The Obidients should understand that Asiwaju is a political juggernaut and election strategist. They were all part of the plan because the candidature of Peter Obi was an asset to the APC. The Obidients made Tinubu’s victory easy, they all made it possible, it should have been Obi or Tinubu. Tinubu was not in the best position to steal the election but he planned well and worked vigorously for victory.

“We also have a message for the PDP candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; it is your time to test the court and not intimidate the court. It is your time to retreat and retire or reset and re-contest again if your party is not tired of you.

“Your inability to be consistent in a party like Bola Ahmed Tinubu shows it is all about you alone. No sir, the Supreme Court is not about you, the Appeal Court is not about you, even the Tribunal is not about you, it is about rule of law.

“So, today we are putting the Nation on notice that no one will be allowed to intimidate the Nigerian Judiciary any longer, we will not entertain it. These judges and the judiciary are the most crucial party of the hope that democracy holds.

“We want to say categorically that Bola Ahmed Tinubu of APC won the election. The Lagos state he lost should have been a taboo but the Democrat in him publicly accepted the outcome without calling for anybody’s head.”

Commending the electoral body for conducting a free and fair election, the leader of the group noted that no election all over the world is devoid of itches.

He alleged that some PDP elements made efforts to bribe some INEC officials without success.

“INEC must be allowed to do their work without molestation. Nobody is talking about the recorded voices of the PDP players which went viral recently where they were scheming to bribe or corner the INEC officials.

“To INEC, therefore, you have done well. Please go ahead with the conduct of Saturday’s governorship election as we look forward to a large turnout rather than the apathy we witnessed during the presidential election.”

Kudos was equally extended to President Muhammadu Buhari for allowing a free, fair and credible election that produced the President-elect, Bola Tinubu.

Edwards, while appealing for cooperation to move Nigeria forward, also called on all Nigerians to give the President-elect Tinubu a chance to reset the country in a way that will benefit all and sundry.

The rally had representatives of the National Association of the Nigeria Students (NANS) and other various youths groups in attendance temporarily paralysing the moment of vehicles Federal Secretariat to the Presidential Villa on Monday.

(TNT)