In a statement released on Thursday, Debo Ologunagba, the PDP spokesperson, said that Nigerians have been let down by the Supreme Court's decision and that it is sad.
"The ruling of the Supreme Court in the appeal brought by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Presidential Candidate Atiku Abubakar against the announcement of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winners of the February 25, 2023, presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)" horrifies the PDP, according to Ologunagba.
He said that the PDP believes the Supreme Court's reasoning violates the express provisions of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) Constitution, the Electoral Act, 2022, the INEC Guidelines and Regulations under which the election was conducted, and that as a result, the party and the majority of Nigerians are alarmed, disappointed, and gravely concerned.
According to Ologunagba, the PDP claims that the Supreme Court disregarded the law's terms, making it a sad commentary on Nigerian democracy.
"Rather, it undermined the hopes of most Nigerians who regarded it as a Temple of Impartiality to provide significant justice in the case in relation to the laws and facts of the case," he stated.
"Nigerians fervently anticipated that the Supreme Court would respect and defend the unambiguous provisions of the 1999 Constitution regarding the qualifications and minimal standards necessary for a Nigerian presidential election winner to be declared."
This is particularly true in light of the FCT's mandatory statutory 25% of the vote, electoral rules and guidelines violations, and the APC's blatant manipulation and altering of election results.
"Nigerians are still perplexed as to how, on the basis of technicalities, the Supreme Court approved the grave crimes of forgery, deception, and perjury."
Ologunagba claims that the general sense of doom, melancholy, and despondency that pervaded the nation following the delivering of the verdict is a warning indication of a spooky situation that might have serious repercussions due to the judgment's inherent disappointment.
The PDP spokesman continued, "It is clear that Nigerians' faith in the judiciary, particularly the Apex Court as the last resort for the average person, has been shaken by this Supreme Court ruling."
"The PDP is unfazed and exhorts Nigerians to keep going and not let the ruling take away from their joint efforts to establish a reliable electoral framework that can ensure a government that genuinely gets its legitimacy from the people."
On Thursday, the Supreme Court denied the challenges filed by Atiku and Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi contesting Tinubu's victory.
The Supreme Court's Justice John Okoro upheld Tinubu's election to the presidency of Nigeria in the general election of 2023.