World Bishops Council Flays Those Pressurizing Atiku To Drop Legal Action

By Bola Adeyemi

The decision of presidential candidate of the major opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Atiku Abubakar, to challenge the result of 2019 presidential election in court, has received the endorsement of World Bishops Council (WBC) in Africa, who has described those pressurizing him not to seek legal redress as either ignorant of history or are mere hypocrites seeking for relevance.

Abubakar who came second in the result declared by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) had on Wednesday gone to court to contest the veracity of the result, as he had assured his supporters, even as some political leaders and other social groups continued to persuade him not to head to court.

In a statement signed by the spokesman of the WBC, Bishop Seun Adeoye on Thursday, the international body explained that Atiku and PDP’s decision to go to court instead of resorting to violence should be commended.

The statement argued: “Why will anyone stop Atiku from going to court? It is his right to seek redress in court if he feels he was cheated during the polls. We
will all learn lessons from this. That he even approached the court has eased tension in the land.

“We need to recall that in 2003, 2007 and 2011, President Muhammadu Buhari contested elections and lost. He never congratulated the
winners; rather he went to court against Olusegun Obasanjo, Musa Yar’adua and Goodluck Jonathan respectively. Nobody begged him then not to seek redress in court. But the court said ‘no, you did not win’
and he returned to his house.

“Permit me to say that the current National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomole won his mandate as the governor of Edo State through the court. Rotimi Amaechi, now the Transport Minister and a top chieftain of APC got his mandate to rule
Rivers State through the court.

“The current Ekiti State Governor under the APC, Kayode Fayemi’s first term was secured through the court. Former Governor of Ondo State,
Olusegun Mimiko got his mandate by the verdict of the court. Rauf Aregbesola who is another top APC chieftain became the governor of
Osun State through court pronouncement.

“These men who I mentioned above were persuaded that they were robbed of their electoral victories and they approached the court and got their mandates restored. That is history.

“Incidentally, the man who mostly led the legal team of those governors that were installed via the court is the current Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo”, he stated.

The WBC’s spokesman believes therefore, that Atiku Abubakar should be allowed to exercise his rights under the nation’s constitution.