Atiku rejects Economic Intelligence Unit report predicting Tinubu’s victory in tribunal

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has described as an embarrassment the report of a think tank, Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), predicting President Bola Tinubu’s victory at the presidential election petition tribunal.

Atiku and his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi, are challenging Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 election over alleged widespread irregularities and failure to secure 25 percent of the total votes in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The EIU, a research and analysis division of the Economist Group founded in 1946, had in its latest report on the ongoing petition on the election, predicted that the tribunal would uphold Tinubu’s victory in the election.

It wrote: “The result is being contested in court, but EIU does not expect it to be overturned. Mr. Tinubu prioritised winning the Muslim north, and calls for secession from the Christian-majority south will grow louder.”

But in a statement issued on Sunday by his media adviser, Paul Ibe, the former Vice President accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of begging for legitimacy in impossible of places.

The statement read: “What is also obvious in the report is that it is a merchant purchased by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to confuse the country in an uphill task to defend the sham election of February 25, which only retained the ruling party in office.

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“Notwithstanding the preponderance of salient issues raised on the credibility of the so-called election by local and foreign observers, it is disappointing that the EIU would condescend to ballot laundering for the ruling party in the most populous Black Country.

“While we wish to express our intention to apply cautious restraint in responding to the EIU on this disgraceful outing, let this be considered as a stern warning to the body to respect Nigeria’s democracy and the institution of our judiciary, and that next time, they should be more circumspect before they jump on any trade by barter jaundiced reports about Nigeria.

“A government that goes around to buy anything at sight to award legitimacy unto itself leaves much to the imagination of the people.

“President Tinubu and his team of lawyers had all the opportunity at the court to present his case of legitimacy before the parties closed their cases at the election petition tribunal.

“But rather than explore that opportunity, his lawyers were busy signing counter motions on subpoenas that seek to shed more light on his personal information.

“We, therefore, consider it a breach of due process anything that is being done outside the walls of the court that seeks to make short-circuited testimony about the outcome of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.”

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