Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in both the 2019 and 2023 presidential elections, has clarified why he chose not to challenge President Bill Tinubu’s victory in court, unlike other opposition parties.
Sowore explained that he didn’t believe justice would be served by pursuing a legal challenge because he lacked confidence in the tribunal’s ability to deliver justice in election-related matters. He pointed out that Nigerian courts had never nullified a presidential election before, and he questioned why the flag bearers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, thought their case would be an exception.
His remarks came in response to the verdict of the presidential election petition tribunal, which upheld President Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 presidential polls. Atiku and Obi, along with their respective parties, had challenged Tinubu’s victory in court, but the tribunal dismissed their cases and validated Tinubu’s win.
Sowore stated, “What you are saying regarding the Labour Party and the PDP is what people like us have always said that they are the same. We are not part of that coalition or alliance.” He expressed skepticism about the court system, particularly the fact that the courts had not delivered justice in similar cases in the past.
He continued, “If you go to court, you can almost determine what would be the outcome of the court.” Sowore argued that opposition parties were often encouraged to go to court as a means of calming the Nigerian populace. He believed that this strategy was employed to prevent public uprisings and to make people accept the results of what he referred to as “fraudulent elections.”
Sowore emphasized that the Nigerian courts had never nullified a presidential election, even in cases like the controversial 2007 election where irregularities were observed. He questioned the effectiveness of going to a court that, in his view, was unlikely to deliver justice, especially given the influence of political parties in power on the composition of the courts.
In conclusion, Sowore’s decision not to challenge the election outcome in court reflects his lack of confidence in the Nigerian judicial system’s ability to address election-related grievances effectively. He suggested that going to court was a strategy used by those in power to maintain control and suppress public discontent.
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