President Muhammadu Buhari has reacted to the Supreme Court judgment dismissing the appeal of the PDP and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar against his election.
Yesterday the apex court dismissed the appeal of the PDP and Atiku against the APC and President Buhari. The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Tanko Mohammed who led other Supreme Court justices said after considering the appeal filed by the PDP, the panel concluded that the matter should be dismissed for lacking in merit.
“We have examined all the briefs and exhibits for over two weeks. And we agreed that there is no merit in this appeal. The appeal is dismissed. Reasons to be given on a date to be announced.”
Reacting, Buhari in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, thanked Nigerians for the mandate given to him to run the affairs of the country for another four years.
The statement reads in part, “The President and Government of Nigeria wish to extend our gratitude to former vice-president and his party for undertaking their campaign through protestations to the courts. In this regard they have conducted themselves in line with the laws of the country they sought to lead.
“Now, following this final legal bid before the highest court, it is time the country is afforded the right to move on – in the interest of all Nigerians – regardless of how they voted. The elected President, and his Government now must be enabled to focus solely on addressing the issues that concern the country.
‘‘From building economic empowerment and opportunities for the nearly 200 million Nigerians, 60 percent of whom are youths bubbling with energy, to defeating the twin ills of terrorism and corruption, there is much work to do.
“So too must the opposition be afforded the right to focus directly on their vital role of holding the administration to account for its decisions. The governance of a democracy only functions as it should when those checks on the executive are in place – and utilized.
“The opposition, as much as the government, must now move on – and without the need for further distractions.”
