The former Nigerian Vice President and 2023 Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has taken his election challenge to the country’s highest court. He seeks to nullify the election victory of President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Tinubu, through a team of 17 lawyers, including 10 Senior Advocates of Nigeria, has urged the Supreme Court to uphold the decision of the Court of Appeal. This appellate court, sitting as the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), had, on September 6, 2023, dismissed Atiku’s joint petition challenging Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 presidential election.
Tinubu’s defense centers on the assertion that he was validly elected by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), having garnered 25% of the total votes cast in 29 states of the federation, surpassing the constitutional requirement of 24.7 states (mathematically two-thirds of the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, totaling 37).
He argued that Atiku and the PDP could only secure 25% of the total votes in 21 states, falling short of the constitutional requirement. He further maintained that the allegations raised in their petition lacked substantive evidence.
The legal battle has revolved around various allegations, including non-compliance with electoral laws, corrupt practices, and non-qualification of Tinubu. Atiku’s team claimed discrepancies in Tinubu’s academic qualifications and questioned his nationality, among other accusations.
Despite these claims, President Tinubu has maintained that Atiku and the PDP failed to provide concrete evidence to substantiate their allegations. Tinubu has called for the dismissal of Atiku’s appeal, emphasizing that the lower court’s findings were rooted in law and scholarship.
The Supreme Court has yet to set a date for the commencement of the hearing on this presidential dispute, leaving the nation in anticipation of the final decision that will determine the future of Nigeria’s leadership.
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