The leadership of Labour Party on Monday said as much as it
supports the notion of the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate,
Atiku Abubakar, on the Supreme Court rewarding illegalities, it disagreed with
his call for a single six-year term for the president.
Atiku, who addressed a press conference in Abuja on Monday,
had expressed his disappointment over the turnout of events, declaring that
Nigeria was the biggest loser.
The development came five days after the apex court
dismissed his case against President Bola Tinubu over lack of merit.
In the lead judgment delivered by the chairman of the
seven-man panel, Justice Inyang Okoro, the apex court refused to consider the
academic records of the President obtained from the Chicago State University,
which Atiku sought to tender as fresh evidence to prove his allegation of
certificate forgery against the ex-Lagos governor.
Reacting in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH, the Chief
Spokesman for the LP Presidential Campaign council, Yunusa Tanko, stated that
he partially agreed with Atiku in the sense that the events of the last 174
days have suggested that the judiciary and the electoral umpire may have become
an extension of the presidency.
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But Tanko said he has reservations about his call for a
Constitution amendment to allow a single six-year term for the president.
He said, “I do not share this idea of a single six-year term
in office. I am saying this because we could have a situation where a leader
who crookedly subverted the will of the people could manipulate itself into
power using court cases. What if we end up having a tyrant who wants to rule us
for six years and we cannot do anything about it simply because the
Constitution and other apparatus have made him what he is? But with four years,
there is an opportunity to challenge that particular leader, except he is
willing to right his wrongs.
“The fact is that the right thing must be done always. No
matter how long you try to hide the truth, it will come out one day. People do not
believe in this system anymore. That notwithstanding, Atiku has also made a
valid point with his recommendation for an electoral reform. The judiciary,
police and INEC must also be reformed. These are basic institutions that have
already been captured by this particular government.
“You can see what is happening in the Supreme Court where
they are already indicting themselves. We are talking about a reputable justice
of the apex court, Muhammad Dattijo, making allegations against his
institution. That shows we still have judges with a conscience. Above all, we
need to look for a way to make INEC truly independent.”
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