PDP planning to challenge Buhari in court

Though President Goodluck Jonathan has congratulated Muhammadu Buhari for emerging as the winner of March 28 presidential election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is planning to challenge his victory in court.

The party had earlier rejected the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), accusing Attahiru Jega, chairman of INEC, of being biased.

Godsday Orubebe (pictured), former minister of Niger Delta affairs, who was one of Jonathan’s representatives at the national collation centre in Abuja, disrupted the announcement of results.

Orubebe had alleged that Jega was paying attention to the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the expense of his own party.

“The PDP has lost confidence in what you are doing. We have lost confidence in you because you are partial and selective,” he said shouting at the top of his voice.

“APC raised issues about the results in Rivers state, you set up a committee to look into it. We have raised issues about results in Kano, in Kaduna, Jigawa and Katsina and yet you have done nothing about it. You are biased. You are partial. You are tribalistic.”

It took the intervention of security personnel before Orubebe could comport himself in order to allow the programme continue.

However, on Wednesday when the final result was announced, Bello Fadile, agent of the PDP refused to sign the result sheet like the agents of other parties did.

“Whether I sign the result sheet or not, it does not make any difference. We will challenge it when we go to court,” he said.

In his concession speech, Jonathan urged aggrieved party members to seek legal redress.

“Although some people have expressed mixed feelings about the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), I urge those who may feel aggrieved to follow due process based on our constitution and our electoral laws, in seeking redress,” he had said.

With a total of 15,424,921 votes ahead of Jonathan’s 12,853,162 votes, Buhari was declared the winner of the keenly contested election.