Atiku Abubakar Slams Supreme Court Judgment, Calls for Electoral Reforms

In a recent world press conference in Abuja, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar expressed his deep disappointment and concern over the Supreme Court's judgment in the 2023 presidential election, citing the erosion of trust in the electoral system and democracy. Atiku accused the court of legitimizing illegality, including forgery, identity theft, and perjury, and lamented the deteriorating state of the judiciary. He called for urgent constitutional amendments to prevent courts from hiding behind technicalities and legal sophistry to affirm electoral heists and undermine the will of the people.

Key Takeaways:

• Atiku Abubakar has criticized the Supreme Court's judgment in the 2023 presidential election, citing the erosion of trust in the electoral system and democracy.
• The former Vice President accused the court of legitimizing illegality, including forgery, identity theft, and perjury.
• Atiku called for urgent constitutional amendments to prevent courts from hiding behind technicalities and legal sophistry to affirm electoral heists and undermine the will of the people.
• He proposed a six-year term for president to be rotated among the six geopolitical zones.
• Atiku suggested that electronic voting and the collation of results be made mandatory, citing the use of this technology by countries less advanced than Nigeria.
• He proposed that all litigation arising from a disputed election must be concluded before the inauguration of a winner, similar to the case in 1979.
• Atiku also suggested that a candidate for president must earn 50% + 1 of the valid votes cast, failing which a run-off between the top two candidates will be held.
• He called for the verification of credentials submitted by candidates and their parties by INEC, and for INEC to publicly state so if it is unable to verify them.

Statistics:

• Atiku Abubakar is 77 years old.
• Atiku has proposed that the president serve a six-year term to be rotated among the six geopolitical zones.
• 15 countries have adopted the two-round system for electing their presidents, including France, Finland, Austria, Bulgaria, Portugal, Poland, Turkey, Russia, Argentina, Brazil, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Namibia, Mozambique, and Liberia.
• Nigeria has a first-past-the-post system for electing its president.
• The Supreme Court judgment in the 2023 presidential election was a unanimous decision.

Sources:

• The Punch, "Atiku lambasts Supreme Court, says judgment has eroded trust in electoral system"
• Vanguard, "Supreme Court’s judgment: Atiku calls for electoral reforms"
• Punch, "Presidency advises Atiku to quit politics, take rest"