Presidential poll: We did not withdraw petition challenging Tinubu’s victory, says PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it has not withdrawn the petition challenging the victory of Bola Tinubu, president-elect. 

In a statement issued on Thursday, Debo Ologunagba, PDP spokesperson, said there were reports claiming that the party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, withdrew a petition against the All Progressives Congress (APC), Tinubu, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Ologunagba clarified that Abubakar and the PDP withdrew the application to inspect all the sensitive materials used by INEC in the elections — not the petition challenging Tinubu’s victory.

He said the application to inspect electoral materials was withdrawn against the electoral umpire because the candidate’s lawyers were given access to the election documents, noting that there was no need to continue with the case.

“Our attention has been drawn to the mischievous report claiming that the PDP and its Abubakar have withdrawn the petition filed against the INEC, APC, and Tinubu at the Presidential Election Tribunal,” the statement reads.

“The said report is false and a reprehensible fabrication by the mendacious APC which is disconcerted by the overwhelming evidence against it and our tenacity to reclaim the mandate freely given to the PDP and by Nigerians on February 25, 2023.

“The PDP states in clear terms that our Party and Abubakar did not withdraw our petition against INEC, APC, and Tinubu at the Presidential Election Tribunal.“

BACKGROUND

The PDP and Abubakar had secured leave of the tribunal to have access to all the sensitive materials used by INEC in the elections.

However, Abubakar and his party filed a fresh motion ex-parte, marked: CA/PEC/10M/2023 claiming that INEC refused to grant them access to monitor the sorting of ballot papers.

But on Wednesday when the case was called for hearing, Kyari Gadzama, Abubakar’s counsel, informed the court that he had filed a notice of discontinuance.