Tribunal: Atiku raises alarm over alleged plot to intimidate judiciary, urges vigilance

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, has raised an alarm over what he alleges as a “sinister plot” to intimidate the judiciary.

In the press release issued by his media aide, Paul Ibe on Saturday, Atiku called on Nigerians to remain vigilant and alerted the international community to the unfolding situation.

Atiku raised serious concerns over threats and intimidation tactics reportedly originating from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and individuals closely associated with President Bola Tinubu.

He accused them of attempting to compromise the integrity of the judiciary and influence the outcome of the election petition.

“Since the conclusion of the presidential election in February of this year and the attendant controversies in its trail, there have been unfortunate developments that are saddening to many Nigerians.

“Consequently, the outcome of that election and the arbitrariness of the electoral umpire to declare a winner against the requirement of the law has been the reason Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President of Nigeria (1999-2007) and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and other parties in the election have chosen the patriotic path to challenge the outcome of that election.

“But as proceedings on the controversial February 25 election continues at the court, there have been threats from the ruling party that aim to intimidate the judiciary from serving the duty of justice

“It is regrettable that the APC and, indeed, agents of President Bola Tinubu have ceaselessly chosen to stand in the way of justice by making catastrophic threats to anarchy if justice is not served according to their whims,” Atiku said.

The former Vice President expressed worry about “heinous plots” that have been reported in the media, which he believes are aimed at harassing justices sitting on the petition. Atiku raised concerns about the potential impact such intimidation could have on the nation’s peace and security.

“Our democracy gives the people of Nigeria the powers to choose their leaders, and our laws demand that our judiciary must be allowed to act independently without harassment and intimidation by the government or powerful interests,” Atiku added.

Drawing attention to past incidents, Atiku referred to the removal of Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, in 2019, and the Department of State Services’ controversial raids on judges’ homes in 2016 and 2017. He accused the APC of creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation within the judiciary to achieve their objectives.

He added: “The plot of the APC is simple: intimidate the judiciary, threaten judges with arrest so that they will bow to their will. This is a playbook from 2019 when they removed the CJN and then replaced him with Tanko Muhammad, who himself was later accused of corruption by his colleagues at the Supreme Court and resigned shamefully.

“However, the APC government never went after Tanko Muhammad as they did in Onnoghen’s case because it was never about corruption but election. The APC has, over the years, built a reputation of judiciary intimidation. They accused about 10 judges of corruption, stormed their homes, and got them suspended and yet could not convict a single one of them. Justice Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court could not recover from the embarrassment that he ended up dying in office.

“Now, they have initiated a new plot. This time around, they want to intimidate the judges into delivering favourable judgments for them at the election tribunal. We draw the attention of the international community and, indeed, Nigerians to this fresh plot to steal the mandate of over 200 million people.”

The former Vice President called on all Nigerians to be vigilant, asserting that eternal vigilance remains the price of liberty. He urged citizens to protect the sanctity of Nigeria’s democratic institutions and uphold the principles of justice.

He also reached out to the international community, calling on them to be aware of the situation in Nigeria and play a role in safeguarding the country’s democracy.