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By Ehichioya EzomonBy the last count at the weekend, women, in a two-million rally, had joined the growing list of individuals, groups, institutions and foreign powers “pleading” with the defeated candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 23, 2019 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to rethink his “no retreat, no surrender” stance on the poll, and congratulate the winner, President Muhammadu Buhari.Atiku, a former Vice President, is courted by domestic and international entities due to the potential of his supporters and members of the PDP to goad him into creating crisis aftermath of the poll he lost by almost four million votes.They’re threatening fire and brimstone over their claim of the election being fraught with irregularities, and violence that reportedly vitiated their projected victory at every turn of the campaigns.But it would seem that they had had recourse to allegations of a planned rigging of the poll by Buhari, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in order to prepare grounds for their current belligerent utterances and actions.If otherwise, why would Atiku and PDP alternate their strategy from taking the claims on the poll to the Tribunal, to reportedly forming a “Parallel Government,” or making a six-point demand on President Buhari, who won the election with a landslide?According to reports, PDP made the demands during a visit of members of the National Peace Committee (NPC), led by former Head of State, retired Gen. Abdulsalami Abukakar, to plead with Atiku to sheathe the sword, and congratulate the President-elect, Mr. Buhari.Although Gen. Abubakar was quick to dismiss the reported demands on his committee, explaining that Atiku and the PDP only aired their grievances and observations concerning the election, any form of demands would be nothing but blackmail.It’s like directing a man with the yam and knife to the portion and quantity to offer you, whereas it’s at his pleasure and liberty to grant or refuse your request, and not forced by an underhand tactic.And come to think of it, Atiku described the election as the “worst in Nigeria’s history.” Really? Recall that he said the same thing of the 2007 poll. Coming third behind the late Umaru Yar’Adua and Bhuari, Atiku labelled the exercise as Nigeria’s “worst election ever,” and vowed not to attend Yar’Adua’s inauguration so as not to “dignify such a hollow ritual with my presence.”Ironically, the February 2019 election he jettisoned has been welcomed by several world leaders, including those of the United States, United Kingdom, China, Russia, France, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Niger, Qatar, Turkey, and the Africa Union, EU and ECOWAS Observer Missions. They’ve affirmed the outcome of the poll, sent congratulatory messages to President Buhari on his re-election, and promised their continued cordial relations with Nigeria.The messages from the U.S. and Britain are instructive. In its statement by Michael Pompeo, the Secretary of State, the U.S. “congratulates the people of Nigeria on a successful presidential election, and President Muhammadu Buhari on his re-election.”“We note the assessments of international and domestic observer missions affirming the overall credibility of the election, despite localized violence and irregularities,” the statement said, even as it condemned “those whose acts of violence harmed Nigerians and the electoral process.”On its part, the British Government, through the Minister of State for Africa, Harriet Baldwin, said the results of the election were consistent with the results obtained through the civil society Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) process.In a statement released by the British High Commission in Abuja, the Minister said: “Along with our international partners, the UK believes the Nigerian people can have confidence in the result,” adding, “I offer my congratulations to President Buhari on securing a second term as the Nigerian President.”Besides, a domestic Observer group, YIAGA Africa, has thrown its weight behind the INEC results, as consistent with its parallel tabulations from the polling units up to the Abuja collation and declaration centre.Utilizing the PVT methodology, and deploying “3,030 observer teams in pairs to a random statistical sample of 1,515 polling units located in every local government area (LGA) and states of the country,” the YIAGA AFRICA Watching The Vote (WTV) findings show that for the presidential election, the APC “should receive between 50.0 per cent and 55.8 per cent of the vote,” and the PDP “should receive between 41.2 per cent and 47.0 per cent of the vote.”“These figures are consistent with the official results as just announced by INEC,” Dr. Hussaini Abdu, Chair of the group said, adding that, “for both APC and PDP, the official results fall within the PVT estimated ranges,” and urged Nigerians to have faith in INEC.The question is: If these “impartial” Observers the opposition usually relied on have given their verdict on the poll in line with INEC’s findings, which “polling units’ tabulations” are Atiku and PDP brandishing to take to the Tribunal, to expose the “worst election” in Nigeria’s history?Perhaps, as revealed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in his book, My Watch, Atiku hasn’t forgotten his claimed Marabout’s prediction of him becoming “President,” taking over from Obasanjo in a matter of months after the later was sworn-in as President in 1999, with Atiku as Vice President.If Atiku failed in his bid to take over from Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007, and had also not succeeded in his presidential aspirations thereafter, what better time than now, at 72, to realize that “prophecy” through the courts or any other conceivable means?At the weekend, the PDP, via its Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, outrightly rebuffed individual and institutional pleas, and vowed “there will be no peace” until the election was reversed in favour of Atiku and his party.Rather than kowtowing unheeded, and indirectly helping to heat up the polity, why not allow Atiku to ventilate his anger, and affirm his claims at the Tribunal? It’s his inalienable right to so do!* Mr. Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.
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