Atiku Abubakar has denied knowledge of a reconciliation move by President-elect Bola Tinubu, in the aftermath of the February 25 presidential election.

Mr Abubakar spoke at a press conference in Abuja Thursday evening.

“On Tinubu’s overture. Well, I’m really not aware of that. I was home all day today. I was not aware of any governor coming to see me,” Mr Abubakar, the flag bearer of opposition Peoples Democratic Party, frankly said when asked by a reporter.

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo had on Wednesday said that a committee has been set up to appeal to the aggrieved presidential candidates, Messrs Abubakar and Peter Obi of Labour Party (LP), who both took part in the last Saturday election but lost in the exercise. 

Mr Akeredolu revealed that the Committee of Elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), would soon meet with Mr Tinubu’s co-contestants in a bid to assuage their loss in the just concluded exercise.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Mr Tinubu the winner of the February 25, 2023, presidential election at the National Collation Centre, Abuja, and subsequently issued him a Certificate of Return the same day.

INEC Chairman, Mr Mahmood Yakubu, said that Mr Tinubu polled 8,794,726 votes to defeat his main challenger, Mr Abubakar, PDP, thereby winning 12 of 36 states of Nigeria.

He added that Mr Abubakar polled 6,984,520 votes to come second, while Peter Obi of the Labour Party, came third, polling 6,101,533 votes.

Both Messrs Abubakar and Obi have rejected the outcome of the presidential exercise, describing it as a rape of the country’s democracy.  

Specifically, Mr Abubakar said the election “must be challenged by all”, noting that it was the “worst” conducted in the history of the nation. 

The declaration of the election results has continued to generate concerns most especially with the failure of INEC to upload the figures on its portal electronically despite its assurance to the Nigerian voters.