Ahead of tribunal judgement, PDP leaders resort to fasting, prayers

Ahead of Wednesday’s judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT), leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have resorted to serious fasting and prayers.

The fasting and prayers season which was equally attended by staff commenced last Monday and ended on Tuesday with a special prayer session at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

Participants at the prayer session were locked in a series of prayers, asking for divine intervention as the Presidential Election Petition Court delivers judgement on the case instituted by the PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, against the declaration of Bola Tinubu as winner of the February 25, 2023 Presidential election.

In his sermon at the session, former Governor of Adamawa State and Chairman, PDP Christain Religious Body 2023, Boni Haruna, who took his Bible reading from the book of 1st Samuel, Chapter 30 verses 1-8, admonished party members and indeed Nigerians, not to despair because there was still hope.

He noted that it was still possible for the party to recover all that was stolen from the PDP, just like David and his companions recovered all that were stolen from them by their enemies in scriptures.

Speaking to reporters shortly after the session, Haruna said, “We believe God will give us victory. Whatever the outcome (of tomorrow’s judgement), we pray that it will strengthen Nigeria’s unity, we are not looking at negativity”

In her remarks, PDP’s Director of Press, Chinwe Nnorom, who equally attended the session said, “Tomorrow’s judgement is not a coincidence, we have been praying before, it is not that God was not answering us, but we are before the Chief Judge of the universe, God is with us he never changes.”

The PEPT had on Monday scheduled Wednesday for judgements on the three pending cases challenging the outcome of the 25 February presidential election.

It is coming about a month after the court heard the closing arguments of parties to the petitions and about two weeks to the expiration of the statutory 180-day lifespans within which the cases filed in March must be heard and determined.

The five-member panel of the court headed by Haruna Tsammani had reserved judgements on the petitions after hearing the closing arguments of the parties to the cases in early August.

The petitions were filed separately by Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi of the Labour Party, and a political party, the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), to challenge President Bola Tinubu’s victory in the disputed election.

The Court of Appeal headquarters in Abuja, which hosts the election petition court, announced the date for the judgements in a statement on Monday.