Alleged Double Nomination: Onoh jabs Atiku over 1999 Supreme Court’s decision

President-elect’s spokesman in the southeast, Dr Josef Onoh has criticized former Vice President and the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, for misleading his party into seeking the disqualification of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu and his Vice, Kashim Shettima, over an alleged double nomination of Shettima for Borno Central Senatorial seat as well as Vice Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during this year’s general elections.

Onoh said he was surprised that Atiku failed to advise his party, the PDP, but rather induced the opposition party into gullibility, even when the former Vice President was aware that he was a benefit of such supreme court judgment which enabled him to become the Vice President of Nigeria in 1999, after he also contested for the governorship of Adamawa state, in the same PDP.

The Supreme Court in its judgment of Friday, dismissed the PDP application, stating that the case of Uche Nwosu of Imo state which the PDP relied on pursuant to its case against the 2023 APC presidential candidate and the vice, was not the same matter.

The supreme court held that whereas Nwosu was a candidate of two political parties in the 2019 government election, Shettima was only given nomination by one party, adding that it was even incongruous for the PDP to have sought such a plea when its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar benefited from its judgment of wisdom in his similar case in 1999, that made him become vice President.

The Supreme Court said, “The applicant herein was a beneficiary of this position in 1999 when its candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar ran for Gubernatorial elections in Adamawa state and was subsequently picked as an associate of President Olusegun Obasanjo pursuant to section 142 of the constitution. In that case, INEC intended to conduct bye-election and this court said no. Alhaji Buni became Governor of Adamawa state on that account.”

Vilifying Atiku for insatiability, Onoh said that the former Vice president should have been fair to the APC, being a beneficiary of the same judgment in 1999, recalling that the supreme court judgement of 1999 benefited him when he ran for the governorship of Adamawa state and Vice President at the same time.

“I didn’t expect him (Atiku) to be unfair because deep down in his heart he knows the truth and knows the Supreme Court was right. But today he is against it because he is not a beneficiary whereas in 1999 he was a beneficiary when the Supreme Court gave him a favourable judgment.

“I’m surprised at the fact that Atiku failed to advise his party when he as a beneficiary of the same judgment knew full well that such judgment was what enabled him to be the Vice President of Nigeria. He exhibited bad leadership qualities by deceiving his party which cost the party two million naira, and he allowed the party to move ahead with the suit. Perhaps it shows that the PDP is a short-sighted political party that is only interested in looting and bringing down Nigeria instead of development for the country.

“The problem with Atiku is that Nigerians don’t want a made-in Dubia President, so Nigerians chose a Nigerian President with the interest of Nigeria. Atiku should invest more time with family, surrounded by loving children and grandchildren; invest the money being paid to his legal team on other meaningful lasting legacies in Adamawa state, and channel such funds on educational scholarships in his community.

“These lawyers will only charge and milk him dry promising him light at the end of a tunnel they obviously know is a dead end. They have nothing to lose; they will collect your money and train their children to become lawyers who will return tomorrow to collect your children’s money who you train to become politicians.

“Tinubu’s appointment with destiny has come to stay. He was born and destined to be President while you were born to be and end as a vice president. You have fulfilled your appointment with destiny hence let Tinubu fulfill his.

“Nigerians in the February 25th presidential election chose a Nigerian, living in Nigeria to represent Nigeria and lead Nigerians as our president; hence your desperate pursuit for the unattainable is simply your personal fight with Nigerians. We don’t disturb you in Dubai so don’t disturb us in Nigeria. Kindly keep your Dubai while we keep our Nigeria,” Onoh counselled Atiku.