The Peter Obi Global Diaspora Support Network (POGDSN) has described as shocking the judgement of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT), which affirmed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner of the February 25, 2023 presidential election.
OsunDailyNG reported earlier that, in over 14 hours of court processing, the PEPT, on September 6, 2023, dismissed all the petitions submitted before it by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi.
Reacting to the court verdict in a statement released on Friday (today), POGDSN said the Tribunal’s judgement did not reflect the position of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The political group insisted that it would reclaim Peter Obi’s mandate at the Supreme Court.
The statement signed by POGDSN convener, Prof. Pat Obiefule, reads: “We, the Peter Obi Global Diaspora Support Network, POGDSN, hereby reject, in the strongest possible term, the entirety of the judgement of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, PEPT on the petition CA/PEPC/03/2023 filed by the Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Gregory Obi, challenging the selection of Bola Ahmed Tinubu by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“POGDSN is absolutely shocked, discontented, and dismayed by the PEPT’s judgment as it amounts to a total abdication of power to the executive arm of government in a manner indicative of state capture, and does not reflect the independence of the judiciary as envisaged by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“POGDSN strongly condemns this judgment in its entirety as an attempt to legitimize the imposed presidency of Bola Ahmed Tinubu; dash the hope of ordinary and long-suffering Nigerians for a new nation anchored on the principles of justice, equity and fairness; and grossly undermine the moral and ethical standard of the larger society.”
The group further described the Tribunal judgement day as a sad day for democracy and the rule of law in Nigeria, saying it remains resolute in its commitment to ensuring that the supremacy of the Constitution is upheld, and in particular, to reclaiming the people’s mandate freely and lawfully given to Obi by Nigerians across the length and breadth of the country during the February 25 presidential election.
