Presidential Election Petition Court is set to reveal its findings on 6th september 2023 regarding the challenge of Senator Bola Tinubu’s election as President of Nigeria
. The court, led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, announced this impending judgment on August 1 after all parties involved presented their final written addresses for and against the petitions.
Besides the petitions filed by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), who both contested Tinubu’s victory, the court will also rule on the Allied Peoples Movement’s (APM) petition, which sought Tinubu’s disqualification due to the alleged unlawful nomination of his vice presidential candidate, Senator Kashim Shettima.
Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal, Mr. Umar Bangari, confirmed the judgment date and assured that adequate security measures were in place. Only invited members of political parties and the general public with interest will be permitted into the courtroom to prevent overcrowding and security breaches. Media outlets interested in broadcasting the proceedings live have been welcomed.
Atiku and Obi contend that they won the presidential poll, which was won by Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Tinubu the winner based on the majority of lawful votes cast, with Tinubu receiving 8,794,726 votes, followed by Atiku with 6,984,520 votes and Obi with 6,101,533 votes.
Dissatisfied with the outcome, Atiku and Obi approached the court, arguing that Tinubu did not secure the majority of lawful votes as claimed by INEC. They argued that INEC declared Tinubu the winner prematurely, as the collation process was still underway at the time.
The petitioners also accused INEC of manipulating the process in favor of the ruling APC and Tinubu. They alleged substantial non-compliance with the electoral process and violations of the law, including Tinubu’s failure to secure 25 percent of votes in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Tinubu’s lead counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, argued that the IReV technology (INEC’s Results Viewing Portals) was not part of the collation process and that the petitioners failed to show how the glitch in transmitting results affected the overall outcome of the election.
The verdict is highly anticipated, as it will determine the outcome of a presidential election challenge in Nigeria and set a potential precedent for future cases. The petitioners and respondents have made their final arguments, and the nation eagerly awaits the decision of the court.
