Obi, Kwankwaso shared Atiku’s votes, Tinubu tells tribunal
The presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress, Bola Tinubu, says Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party could not have won the February 25 presidential poll because part of the votes he should have garnerned were taken by the candidates of Labour Party, Peter Obi, and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party, who were formerly members of Atiku’s party, the PDP.
Tinubu made this assertion in his preliminary objection to Atiku’s petition, seeking the nullification of the result of the February 25 presidential election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared that Tinubu won the election with 8,794,726 votes.
The commission declared that Atiku came second with 6,984,520 votes; while Obi and Kwankwaso got 6,101,533 and 1,496,687 votes, respectively, to finish third and fourth.
Atiku, who alleged manipulation of the poll, had gone before the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal in Abuja, praying that Tinubu’s declaration as winner be voided.
But in opposition, Tinubu, in response filed through his legal team, contended that there was no way Atiku could have won the election because his chances were dimmed by many factors, including the infighting within his party and the defection of Obi and Kwankwaso to other parties.
According to Tinubu, in 2019 when Atiku contested the presidential election against the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), the PDP was more cohesive, with Obi as his running mate and Kwankwaso as one of his supporters.