APC dismisses alleged telephone conversation by Tinubu with CJN
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed report of an alleged telephone conversation between the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Olukayode Ariwoola and President Bola Tinubu over the outcome of the presidential election petition currently before the court.
In a statement issued by Mr Felix Morka, the APC National Publicity Secretary in Abuja, the party described the speculations as mischievous, adding that the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) should be allowed to do its job.
“We have become aware of a decidedly mischievous and intentionally misleading tweet by Mr Jackson Ude.
“He alleged that President Tinubu had a telephone conversation with the CJN, in which the CJN purportedly told the president and the APC to prepare for a presidential election rerun,” Morka said.
He said it was disturbing and disgraceful for Ude to fabricate a falsehood of this kind on a matter of serious national importance that was actively under review by the PEPC.
He maintained that Tinubu and the APC won the Feb. 25 presidential election without a doubt.
Morka added that the party and Tinubu do not have any need to engage in side conversations with the CJN regarding pending petitions before the PEPC.
He said as the core democrat that he is, Tinubu respects the right of aggrieved candidates in the election to seek redress for any grievances they may have.
He noted that the Constitution and the Electoral Act provided effective guarantees of that right.
“The PEPC should be afforded the time and space to perform its important constitutional and statutory duty of adjudicating and delivering a verdict in the matter without needlessly calling the integrity of our Judges into question.
“Falsehood and conjecture by the likes of Ude only aim to inflame political passions, create doubt and panic, and preemptively undermine the verdict of the courts in this important matter. “We are confident that Nigerians are smarter and more discerning than to be affected by this opposition brand of tasteless and crass mercenary expedition,” the APC said.
