President Bola Tinunu has denied having a telephone telephone conversation with the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Olukayode Ariwoola over the outcome of the presidential election petition currently before the court.
The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Felix Morka made the clarification, declaring the claim by one Jackson Ude as mischievous.
Recall that Ude had in his tweet alleged that the CJN acting on the evidence arising from the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT) asked the President to prepare for a rerun.
Morka expressed concern that Ude or anybody for that matter would go as far as spreading falsehood with a serious national issue, adding that the claim was a figment of Ude’s imagination
Morka maintained that Tinubu had no reason to prepare for a rerun for the election he won and was appropriately declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Statement reads, “We have become aware of a decidedly mischievous and intentionally misleading tweet by one Mr Jackson Ude. He alleged that President Bola Tinubu was in telephone conversation with the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, in which the CJN purportedly told the President and APC to prepare for a presidential election rerun.
“It is disturbing and disgraceful for Mr Ude to fabricate a falsehood of this kind on a matter of serious national importance that is actively under review by the Presidential Election Petitions Court (PEPC).
“President Tinubu and our party won the last presidential election without a doubt, and don’t have any need to engage in side conversations with the CJN regarding pending petitions before the PEPC.
“As the core democrat that he is, the President respects the right of aggrieved candidates in the election to seek redress for any grievances that they may have. The Constitution and Electoral Act provide effective guarantees of that right.
“The PEPC should be afforded the time and space to perform its important constitutional and statutory duty of adjudicating and delivering a verdict in the matter without needlessly calling the integrity of our Judges into question.
“Falsehood and conjecture by the likes of Mr. Ude only aim to inflame political passions, create doubt and panic, and preemptively undermine the verdict of the courts in this important matter.
“We’re confident that Nigerians are smarter and more discerning than to be affected by this opposition brand of tasteless and crass mercenary expedition,” the statement noted.
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