By Milcah Tanimu

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has refuted claims that he congratulated President Bola Tinubu on his victory at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal. In a statement released by his Media Aide, Paul Ibe, Atiku dismissed the reported statement as “fake news” fabricated by individuals seeking validation for what he referred to as the usurpation of the Nigerian people’s mandate.

Atiku emphasized that he could not endorse what he deemed “electoral banditry” because doing so would be a betrayal of the Nigerians who have long struggled to establish electoral integrity in the country. He questioned the need for individuals to seek validation through fake news and suggested that the truth should stand on its own without the need for external validation.

The statement also highlighted Atiku’s decision to challenge the tribunal’s judgment by directing his lawyers to proceed to the Supreme Court. Atiku expressed his commitment to upholding the integrity of Nigeria’s democracy and warned against allowing election rigging to go unpunished, as it would undermine the very principles democracy stands for.

The statement also pointed out a discrepancy in the purported message, as it addressed Bola Tinubu as “President-elect,” which Atiku found incongruous, given that Tinubu’s victory had not resulted in his swearing-in as President.

Atiku concluded by emphasizing that the struggle for electoral integrity and the future of Nigerian democracy extended beyond him and called for the protection of democratic mandates and the consent of the people in the electoral process.