UPP congratulates Buhari, says party vindicated

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The United Progressive Party (UPP) has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on the resounding landmark verdict of the Presidential election petition tribunal which upheld his election in February, 2019, saying that justice has been served as this victory is essentially victory for democracy.
A statement issued by the party’s National Chairman, Chekwas Okorie, UPP said “it is with joy that we recall that on 17th August, 2018, when the National Executive Committee (NEC) of our great party resolved unequivocally to support President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), for 2019 Presidential election, we unambiguously stated that we would contribute our quota to ensure that the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari in the 23rd February 2019 Presidential Election would be so resounding in a manner that would make any petition against the outcome of the election to be a “mere and unnecessary national distraction”.
“The party conveyed its resolution not to present a presidential candidate on the platform of the UPP in order to focus our attention and energy in campaigning for him. He won the election with a margin of nearly four million votes to his closest rival.
”We sincerely advised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to accept the outcome of the election in the spirit of sportsmanship. Unfortunately, they opted to proceed to the Tribunal with their petition against the election of President Buhari.
“True to our prediction, they have only succeeded in distracting the attention of the Nigerian people unnecessarily. We hope that their misadventure will be allowed to rest at this point, and save the nation of further distraction.