In regards to the potential outcome of his case before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, President Bola Tinubu did not speak on the phone with Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) made this statement in response to reports that the pair were the subject of a phone call.
A Twitter user claimed that the CJN had told President Tinubu and the APC to prepare for a repeat of the 2023 presidential election over a telephone discussion.
But in response, the APC spokesman, Felix Morka, claimed the Twitter user made up a lie about an issue of crucial national importance that the tribunal is actively reviewing in a statement on Tuesday.
President Tinubu and the APC, according to Morka, won the presidential election on February 25 without a doubt, hence there is no need to have a side chat with the CJN about petitions that are still pending before the PEPC.
“We have become aware of a decidedly mischievous and intentionally misleading tweet by one Mr Jackson Ude. He alleged that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was in a telephone conversation with the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, in which the CJN purportedly told the President and APC to prepare for a presidential election rerun,” the statement read.
“President Tinubu and our Party won the last Presidential election without a doubt, and do not have any need to engage in side conversations with the CJN regarding pending petitions before the PEPC. As the core democrat that he is, the President respects the right of aggrieved Candidates in the election to seek redress for any grievances that they may have. The Constitution and Electoral Act provide 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 Mr. 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.”