Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state has advised the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his Labour Party counterpart, Mr Peter Obi, against appealing the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) which affirmed the election of President Bola Tinubu.
According to him, PDP and LP planning to challenge the victory of President Bola Tinubu have no ground to appeal the Wednesday ruling of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) upholding Tinubu’s victory at the February Presidential poll.
Speaking with newsmen Thursday after meeting with Vice President Kashim Shettima at the State House, Abuja, Bello said the justices were very thorough in their ruling delivered for close to 14 hours on Wednesday.
He said the ruling exposed the truth about the election insisting that Nigerians, home and abroad, were happy with the judgement even as he called on the opposition to join hands with the President to move the nation forward.
According to him: “As far as I’m concerned, I don’t think there is any ground for appeal. I will rather appeal to them that they should drop any appeal going to the higher court and then save the resources, save the trouble, advise their supporters, admonish them that they should accept yesterday’s judgement. No flaw. I thank God for all that happened yesterday.
“I advise all those that feel aggrieved, we have only one country, Nigeria they should all come together and support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and ensure that we fix this country. Whatever hardship we are facing today is the effects of the past. Definitely we have Mr. fix it who is trying his best travelling around the world to ensure that Nigeria is fixed. So we are happy the matter is settled.”
Reacting to another election tribunal’s ruling in Lokoja that invalidated the victory of two Kogi Senators on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress on Wednesday, Bello said “This is democracy. and they have right of appeal. I think they will take the appropriate steps to ensure that no violence is orchestrated anywhere.
“We will follow the due process of the law and whatever will be the outcome at the end of the day, we abide by it. But I want to assure you that even judging from the pronouncements yesterday at the appeal court, we are going to have our 3/3 Senate in Kogi state, I can assure you.”
Deji Elumoye in Abuja
Follow us on:
