Why I am pursuing judicial option for my mandate — Atiku

The Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar said his recourse to the court over the 2019 presidential election was to ensure that “votes of Nigerians count.”

Abubakar in a statement he issued on Friday in Abuja, said it was also to ensure that democracy was seen to be done in Nigeria.

He said that “nothing good comes easy”, and that hard work was needed in the task to rid Nigeria of the forces of fascism.

Besides, he said that the route he had adopted for reclaiming his mandate was also for the full restoration of the rule of law and democracy in Nigeria.

“I owe so much to this great land of Nigeria that took me from the streets of Jada, where I sold firewood, to the heights I have attained, by God’s benevolence, in the civil service, in corporate Nigeria, and in public service.

“If I do not play my part in making it possible for other orphaned children, indigent youths and the less privileged, to replicate and even surpass my path to significance, I will have failed my Maker.

“If I do not ensure that the ladder I climbed remains accessible to those at the bottom, middle and top tiers of society, I will not have fulfilled my purpose.

“And only by ensuring that democracy is not just done, but seen to be done, can Nigeria and Nigerians have a sense that this our dear land is indeed a land where unity, faith, peace and progress reside.

“It is for this, and other patriotic reasons, that I am pursuing this judicial route: To ensure that the votes of Nigerians count and are counted,” he said.

The former vice president said those who did not want Nigeria to be a reality, would use every trick in the book to undermine, discourage, misinform and mislead the populace.

He, however, said that with God’s help and the support of Nigerians, he would ensure that Nigeria was on course towards genuine democracy.

“We must return to being Africa’s bastion of democracy, where the rights to freedom of speech and freedom after the speech, are guaranteed.

“We must stand together to pursue this just cause all the way, so that our judiciary are not afraid to do their jobs and have to be wary of blackmail, intimidation, and victimisation,” he said.

Abubakar appreciated Nigerians’ support for shared common goal and the solidarity he enjoyed from all walks of life and every strata of society, right from July 21, 2018, when he declared his intention to contest the presidential election.

He said that the support continued to Sept 11, when the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal rendered its verdict.

Abubakar noted the immense outpouring of goodwill from ordinary Nigerians in every nook and cranny of Nigeria and from all regions, religions and relationships.

“I also thank the governors elected on the platform of my party, the PDP, as well as the National Executive Committee, for their unanimous and unambiguous support for the judicial phase of this struggle, especially after it was announced that we would go on to appeal,” he said.

He urged all Nigerians to continue their support for that recourse to constitutional order via the courts.

“Even if there is little or nothing you can do to ensure that justice is done in Nigeria, just believe that it will happen. Let us never underestimate the effect of our belief in Nigeria.

“Finally, I say to all concerned, that we will all die and give account of our lives to our creator, “ he said.