- Pix above: Catholic Bishops
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The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has expressed dismay at the judgment of the 2023 Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT), that upheld the victory of President Bola Tinubu, lamenting that Nigeria’s fate currently hangs in the balance.
The PEPT had, on Wednesday, September 6, jettisoned the petitions filed by Mr. Peter Obi of Labour Party, and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), counterpart, Atiku Abubakar for lacking in merit.
Obi and Atiku who rejected the tribunal’s verdict, have resolved to end the matter in the Supreme Court
Reacting to the controversy surrounding the judgment, President of the CBCN, Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, said that the tribunal’s verdict fell short of the people’s legitimate expectations, moral and legal standards and is, therefore, unjust.
He spoke on Sunday in Abuja while addressing an audience at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Second Plenary Assembly of the Conference.
According to him, with the move by Obi and Atiku to appeal the judgment at the Supreme Court, the fate of Nigerians have continued to “hang in the balance”.
The Bishop prayed that the Supreme Court Judges would be fair to the parties when delivering its judgment on the petitions.
“As this case moves to the next level, the fate of the country continues to hang in the balance and the future of democracy in our land stands on the edge of a precipice.
“We pray and hope that the Supreme Court Judges will neither bend the law nor seek to satisfy the whims and caprices of any party.
“We also pray and hope for a day in our nation when all election results will be finally decided at the polling units and not at the court,” he added.
The State Online reports that both Peter Obi of Labour Party and Atiku Abubakar of Peoples Democratic Party had rejected the PEPT’s verdict, calling it unjust, and opting for going ahead with the Supreme Court appeal, even as Tinubu was pleading with them to join him in rescuing Nigeria./SHARE THIS
- Tags: Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, CBCN, PEPT, PBAT
