PEPT: Tinubu will never be my president – Aisha Yesufu

A social rights activist, Aisha Yesufu, has explained why President Bola Tinubu will never be her president.

Yesufu, a supporter of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi in the just-concluded General Election made this known in a ‘Mic On’ podcast titled, ‘The PEPC Judgment: Hopes met or dashed’ hosted by Channels TV presenter, Seun Okinbaloye, on Saturday night.

Yesufu was quoted as saying that Tinubu allegedly rigged his way into the presidency and on that basis will never be seen as her president.

“Tinubu did not win the 2023 presidential election and will never be my president because he rigged his way to be declared the one with the majority votes. And as for me, that is a political coup. That is a civilian coup and it is the mandate of the people that was stolen.

“My focus and other Nigerians now is to ensure getting the mandate back.”

She added that even the Presidential Election Petition Court that gave the verdict that President Tinubu lawfully won the election held on February 25 was wrong, adding, “I stayed for over 13 hours in the court and I heard all the judgement read by the Supreme Court justices. It was all a movie.”

“And there was a trailer before the movie, it began when the former Supreme Court justice, Mary Odili spoke. It already preempted what we expected.”

She further said that the whole process began getting fishy when PEPC declined that the proceedings be aired live from the beginning until the judgment day and failed to show the faces of the justices.

“There was a need for people to see how it has been going rather than just hearing the judgment only.

“The joy in the faces of the judges showed that they were biased. They acted more like counsels to the respondents (President Tinubu, All Progressives Congress and VP Kashim Shettima),” she alleged.

Yesufu said she believed that the judiciary is compromised while making reference to the issues of card readers not being admissible in the court while espousing Nyesom Wike and Peter Dakuku’s case in Rivers State.

“The politicians always believe that they control the court that is why they are quick to tell people to go to court if they are satisfied with the results of elections.”

Speaking on the ‘Eyes on the Judiciary’ being productive on the judgment, Aisha said it was, adding that Nigerians have taken it upon themselves to tell the court that they would not allow nefarious acts in the court.

Recall that a five-member panel of the Tribunal took turns to dismiss the petitions presented by the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar; the Labour Party and its candidate, Peter Obi; against the declaration of Tinubu as the winner of the presidential election on Wednesday.

The judgment was delivered by the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Haruna Tsammani, assisted by other members of the panel-Justices Stephen Adah, Monsurat Bolaji-Yusuf, Moses Ugo and Abba Mohammed.

Delivering the death knell to Atiku’s petition on Wednesday night, Tsammani stated, “This petition accordingly lacks merit.

“I affirm the return of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the duly elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The parties are to bear their cost.”