Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has asked Nigerians to vote for the party in the governorship and state houses of assembly elections on Saturday.
In a statement issued by his media office, Abubakar asked the party’s supporters not to be discouraged by the outcome of the February 25 presidential election which Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was announced as the winner.
The former vice-president said he is challenging the election results in court, noting that he is hopeful that justice will be delivered in his favour.
“I thank Nigerians immensely for their high sense of patriotism in bracing the odds to perform their civic duty during the February 25 presidential election. I truly appreciate their resilience, tenacity, and courage. It is indeed heart-warming that they have faith in rescuing and rebuilding our great country, as envisioned by our great party, the PDP,” he said.
“As attested to by both local and international observers, the result of the February 25 presidential election as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was grossly tainted and did not reflect the will of the electorates. Nigerians have demonstrated against this blatant injustice through different mediums. And for that, I thank them again for their non-violent conduct despite the provocations.
“Indeed, what INEC did in announcing the manipulated result was a clear breach of not only the 2022 Electoral Act but also of its own guidelines which the electoral commission had repeatedly claimed would uphold the standards we had seen in the Osun and Ekiti elections. Curiously, the INEC chairman further ignored calls for a review of the process in line with the amended law.
“But all hope is not lost. As citizens desirous of a better Nigeria, we must never give in to apathy. The electoral fraud perpetrated by INEC will be reversed in due course as we step up the cause to reclaim our mandate. We must continue to show resilience in the defence of our democracy and in the exercise of our right to vote.
“Consequently, I urge all our supporters to turn out in large numbers on March 11 to cast their votes for the PDP in the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly election.
“There is no better way to demonstrate against the sham of an election of February 25 than for patriotic citizens like you to turn out en masse this Saturday to vote for a greater and prosperous Nigeria as envisioned by the PDP.”
Abubakar said Nigerians should cast their votes “peacefully and in strict compliance” with the electoral law while being “vigilant” to protect the votes.
