Following Supreme Court announcement of Mr Gboyega Oyetola as the authentic winner of the Osun state governorship poll, the Presidency has reacted to comments credited to the former Vice President and presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, on the judgment. The former vice president had said: “I urge the nation’s judiciary to take a pulse of the nation and reflect it. “In their hands, God has placed a great responsibility. The duty to ensure that justice is done, irrespective of the pressure to do otherwise by the powers that be.”
In a swift reaction to the statement, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said that he found Atiku’s reaction very ridiculous, and comical.
The statement reads: “Many things fly in the face of logic, reason, and legality in this portion of the statement.
“Learned people know that the judiciary comes to conclusions drawing from matters of law placed before it, and not sentiments, or so-called “pulse of the nation.”
“A pertinent question is: how does the judiciary gauge the pulse of the nation?
Is it even positioned to do such?
Is the judiciary established for that purpose, or to dispense justice, even if the heavens fall?
“Again, there is insinuation of inducement in the statement when the PDP candidate said the judiciary should ensure justice is done, ‘irrespective of the pressure to do otherwise by the powers that be.’
Adesina, stressed that the government sees that as an attempt to browbeat the judiciary, thus causing it to entertain sentiment in the ongoing petition on the presidential election before the tribunal.
He noted that Buhari had thrice taken his electoral challenges to the judiciary, up to the Supreme Court, and not once was he accused of trying to influence the process or put pressure on the courts.
“When the All Progressives Congress (APC) lost Zamfara and Rivers states, arising from judicial proclamations then, there was no “pressure to do otherwise, by the powers that be.
“But now that the victory of the party in Osun was upheld, there is insinuation of pressure from those who have never learnt to play straight.”
The Presidential aide maintained that President Buhari has always been committed to fair play, which he noted was clearly evident in the last general elections.
