The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has indicated that it would challenge the outcome of the 2015 presidential election at the tribunal, despite the party’s presidential candidate, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, and other senior members of the party congratulating General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on his victory.
The development came shortly after the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, officially declared Buhari the winner of the presidential election in the early hours of the morning.
Jega, who served as the Returning Officer for the election, made the declaration at about 3:44 a.m. after the final results from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory had been collated.
The declaration marked a historic moment in Nigeria’s political history, as Buhari emerged victorious over the incumbent president in an election that had attracted considerable national and international attention.
At the collation centre, however, the PDP’s representative, Bello Fadile, reportedly declined to sign the final result sheet.
Fadile later addressed journalists and explained that the refusal to sign the document would not prevent the party from pursuing what it considered the appropriate legal process.
He maintained that the PDP would follow due process by challenging the election outcome before the relevant tribunal.
The development came against the backdrop of a tense period during the collation of results at the National Conference Centre in Abuja.
Earlier in the proceedings, a PDP agent, Godsday Orubebe, caused a dramatic interruption at the venue after accusing INEC and its chairman of bias.
Orubebe disrupted the collation process for more than 40 minutes, during which he made several allegations against Jega and demanded that his concerns be addressed.
The incident attracted widespread attention before Orubebe eventually left the venue.
Despite the controversies that accompanied the collation, INEC proceeded with the announcement of the results and formally declared Buhari the winner of the presidential election.
Jonathan had earlier conceded defeat and congratulated Buhari, a gesture that was widely praised for helping to ease tension following a keenly contested election.
The PDP’s decision to consider legal action therefore introduced a new dimension to the post-election developments, even as attention shifted to the incoming administration and the transition of power.
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