The Vice Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Senator Yusuf Datti Ahmed, has said that President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu did not meet the constitutional requirement to be so declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and should not be sworn-in as president on May 29, 2023.
Speaking on a Channel’s Television programme, yesterday, Datti Ahmed said what Tinubu has as certificate of return is a dud cheque.
Asked where he was disappointed with the INEC, he said: “The INEC chairman should not have engaged in what he did at the height of this administration’s rascality and arrogance. He sneaked in at the hour of 4 am, and arrogated to himself the power to interpret a section of the constitution that needs no interpretation. Section 134 comes already interpreted.
He recklessly proceeded to declare and issue a certificate of return and our dear Mr. President, who is probably paying back a promise that Tinubu extracted from him way back 2014, when they added their money and their votes for him to become the president of Nigeria, did nothing. It is clear that with this our president, anything can go.”
He continued: “We came third according to the result released by INEC. In reality, we came first. Nigeria is in a state of constitutional crisis and we are not realising that yet. A certificate of return has been issued to a so-called President-elect unconstitutionally. There are therefore two understanding of the declaration made. One is the one by INEC and the other is the one of the people. Anybody can read section 134 and take a position. We are entitled to our view of the crisis facing Nigeria now.
“The certificate of return issued to Tinubu is a dud certificate. Therefore the requirement to be declared as president-elect has not been met by Tinubu/Shettima ticket. So for people who understand Section 134 there is really no president-elect.
“Section 134 stipulates who to be declared and issued certificate of return. It is only that candidate that has scored the highest number of votes and at least 25 per cent in 2/3 of the states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
“It is very clear Tinubu does not have 25 per cent in the FCT, we denied him. We got 61 per cent. Atiku does not have 25 per cent. We denied both of them.”
So by the Nigerian constitution, which must not be bridged, Tinubu does not satisfy the constitution to be declared president-elect. So there is no president-elect for Nigeria now because the declared one violates the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The way they are going disregarding the call of the people, violating the constitution, even if they swear in Tinubu and Shettima, they are swearing in an unconstitutional government.”
