ALL HOPE IS NOT GONE, ATIKU EXPRESSES CONFIDENCE IN REGAINING HIS MANDATE

Atiku Abubakar

Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president and the presidential candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has urged his followers not to give up hope as Nigerians head to the polls to elect their governors on Saturday.

He also asked his supporters in a message to cast ballots for all PDP candidates this weekend.

Yesterday, Atiku also withdrew the application he had submitted in an effort to persuade the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to permit their agents to take part in the process of sorting through the materials (ballot papers) used in the conduct of the February 25 presidential election.

The former vice president, though, expressed certainty that he would regain his stolen mandate.

The former vice president maintained that INEC's handling of the presidential election violated the organization's rules and the laws governing elections.

Added Atiku: "Indeed, what INEC did in announcing the manipulated result was a clear breach of not only the 2022 Electoral Act, but also its own guidelines which the electoral commission had repeatedly claimed would uphold the standards we had seen in the Osun and Ekiti elections.

Atiku claimed in a statement that he signed, "As attested to by both local and international observers, the result of the February 25 presidential election as announced by INEC was grossly tainted and did not reflect the will of the electorates.

"You all have demonstrated against this blatant injustice through different mediums. And for that, I thank you again for your non-violent conduct despite the provocations.

"The INEC Chairnan further ignored calls for a review of the process in line with the amended law."

Yet, the former vice president stated: "My fellow citizens, all hope is not lost. You must never give in to apathy. I assure you that the electoral fraud perpetrated by INEC will be reversed in due course as champion the cause to reclaim our mandate."

According to him. "We, as citizens, must continue to show resilience in the defence of our democracy and in the exercise of our rights to vote.