Day of Decision Draws Close,What Will The Presidential Election Tribunal Decide?
… Will it be Tinubu, Atiku or Obi?
By PHC Telegraph
These are questions that Nigerians are asking as national attention shifts towards the Federal Capital Territory, where the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, PEPT, is about to give a verdict.
Expectations are high and there is no doubt that for some people in the country affected by widespread attempts by pervasive, angry and disenchanted groups and individuals to instigate unrest, there is growing tension.
For three months, Nigerians have followed the drama and the legal arguments tabled by lawyers representing the APC, the PDP and LP in the courtroom.
Five judges in the last 180 days have patiently listened to those arguments about the conduct of the election and also heard testimonies from countless witnesses in the box
Now, the day of decision draws close, when Nigerians would hear from the five Justices and make sense of the grounds of law upon which their pronouncements will be based.
Will their position be unanimous or will there be a split decision?
Nobody is sure.
On the social media, in the popular mass media, several theories about what is likely to be the outcome have been peddled.
Some have even championed what they say is an eye on the judiciary and engaged in uncharitable mudslinging.
Facts not fiction, legal technicalities and natural justice have usually formed the cornerstone for judicial pronouncements in Nigeria and Nigerians expect no less as they await judgement day.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and a former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar seen exchamging views when friends were not foes.The ruling is expected on Wednesday, which is about 24 hours from now, and there are signals that the court’s proceedings may be telecast live.
On Wednesday, Justice Haruna Tsammani would lead the five-man panel of Justices who have painstakingly presided over the Presidential Election Tribunal into the courtroom.
Present in the temple of justice would be lawyers, journalists, members of civil society groups and representatives of the candidates and their political parties.
Justice Haruna Tsammani would lead other Justices that are members of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to deliver judgement.
Outside the courtroom, Nigerians would hold their breath in anticipation of what is to come.
This has always been the case after every election cycle when men and women head to the court or tribunal to challenge election outcomes and the judiciary sets dates for the pronouncement of its judges.
Who will it be? Will it Tinubu, Atiku or Obi?
The world looks up to Nigerians as the clock ticks. It is the biggest democracy in Africa, a beacon of hope for the West African sub region and an emerging powerhouse at the international level.
No one no matter how highly or lowly placed has a right to set the nation ablaze by setting Nigerians against one another.
Peter Obi sitted at the tribunal when hearing on the matter commenced. Obidients have been issuing visible threats of late on social media. Will they wreck mayhem as some of them have promised?
President Bola Tinubu will not be in the country when the verdict shall be delivered. He will be away in India with a team of top rate Nigerian businessmen in search of an economic breakthrough for the nation through investments.
Many experts have hailed it as the right route to travel in ongoing efforts to reduce hunger and unemployment and create prosperity and wealth.
The DSS, the nation’s secret police which has access to unparalleled intelligence gathering has issued a warning to all who may be planning to forment trouble in parts of the country.
It has also asked parents and managers of tertiary educational institutions to prevail on their children, some of whom are students to resist being used by shadowy politicians that may be inclined towards the destabilization of the the nation in pursuit of selfish interests.
No one’s blood, President Goodluck Jonathan once said while addressing the Nigerian people, is worth the ambition of anyone.
Speaking on matters relating to Nigeria’s safety and sovereignty, President Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida many years ago said Nigeria is greater than an individual.
Analysts say these leaders in a way acknowledge the need for a sense of patriotism and the need in times like this for those aspiring to top leadership positions to appreciate why national unity and national cohesion is necessary.
As Nigerians await the delivery of a decision by the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal which will reveal the position of the law on what is, not what ought to be, they hope that they would do so in peace.
Femi Falana, SAN, has noted that there is still one step to take to the Supreme Court. Those who are likely to be aggrieved have the opportunity to seek reprieve if the ruling of the five wise men fails to appeal to them.
It is a call which presupposes there will be no recourse to self help and actions that do not support democracy by political leaders and their supporters.
Interestingly, there is a chance for Nigerians to watch the court proceedings from the comfort of their homes,
No one who plots the underhand manipulation of election results or the preservation of truth in the courtroom will allow cameras to cover the event live.
This should boost the confidence of the ordinary people in the effort of the nation’s judiciary to exhibit transparency and really deliver justice to all manner of people.
As one Nigerian singer long put it in a song “Nigeria go survive, my people go survive; Nigeria go survive ooo, my people go survive.”
Our nation shall survive and become an example to other African nations. So help us God.