Amaechi begs Atiku to work with Buhari after 2019 presidential election

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has called on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to work with President Muhammadu Buhari after the contentious 2019 presidential election.

Atiku lost the February 23 election to Buhari by 3.9 million votes, but has rejected the result and is set to contest it in court.

While addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, March 5, 2019, Amaechi said the opposition party should work with the ruling party.

However, the former Rivers governor also said the party is ready to fight any legal action instituted by the opposition party and its candidate, a former vice president.

"I told my colleagues that it is only those who fail elections that gather for meetings, while the winners just gather to pop champagne and drink to their victory.

"We are celebrating but we are conscious of the fact that we want to repeat what Gowon said in 1970, 'No victor, no vanquished'.

"We enjoin our colleagues in the PDP to join us in ensuring that Nigerians benefit from good governance.

"We believe they are our colleagues and friends, but if they don't see reason, I think we also have lawyers."

President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) shared 96.82% of the votes cast in the 2019 presidential election Pulse Nigeria

The minister also promised that President Buhari will run an inclusive government that'll ensure no one feels left out, like the president promised in his acceptance speech.

"Not only will Buhari run an all-inclusive government, but he is also guided by the fact that Nigerians have suffered enough. The president will ensure we run a government that satisfies Nigerians.

"Election is over and we are no longer discussing corruption but want to implement the policies that will ensure that the money that belongs to Nigeria is kept for Nigeria alone.

"The cardinal point that the president has continuously focused on is the fight against corruption and the need not just to rehabilitate the economy but also to make it grow," he said.

PDP, Atiku file motion before tribunal

The PDP has filed an ex parte application before the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to give it access to inspect materials used for the 2019 presidential election.

Atiku Abubakar is unhappy with the conduct of the 2019 presidential election won by Buhari Pulse Nigeria

In a motion, dated March 4, 2019, filed by Chief Chris Uche (SAN) on behalf of Atiku and the PDP, the aggrieved parties asked the tribunal to compel INEC to grant them permission to inspect the Voters Registers, the Smart Card Reader Machines, ballot papers and other vital documents used to conduct the election.

The motion also appealed to the tribunal to compel INEC to allow party agents scan and make photocopies of vital documents used for the election so as to establish allegations of electoral malpractices committed during the election.

INEC, President Buhari and the ruling APC were listed as the three respondents in the motion.

The aggrieved parties noted that the inspection was for the purpose of filing and maintaining an election petition they intend to lodge against the result announced by INEC which crowned Buhari as the winner with 15,191,847 of the total votes cast while Atiku gained 11,262,978 votes.

A date is yet to be scheduled for the hearing of the motion.