The Supreme Court is set to announce its verdict on the appeals filed by the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi. These appeals challenge the decision of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPC) which, on September 6, dismissed their petitions and upheld President Bola Tinubu’s victory.
Atiku and Obi are seeking to overturn the PEPC’s judgment that validated Tinubu’s election. Dr. Festus Akande, the Supreme Court’s Director of Information, confirmed that the judgment for these appeals has been scheduled for Thursday.
This development follows a recent hearing before a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court. After the final arguments from the involved parties, the panel reserved its verdi
The appeals were brought before the Supreme Court by Atiku and Obi, who contest the declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that Tinubu, of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), was the legitimate winner of the presidential election held on February 25.
Atiku and Obi argue that the election was rigged in favor of the ruling party and that Tinubu did not secure the majority of valid votes, despite INEC’s declaration.
Atiku’s notice of appeal, with 35 grounds, claims that the PEPC erred in its judgment. He argues that the lower court failed to nullify the election due to non-compliance with the Electoral Act of 2022, which resulted in a miscarriage of justice.
Obi, through his lead counsel Mr. Levi Uzoukwu, SAN, is also urging the apex court to set aside the PEPC’s judgment and grant all the appeals.
In response, the respondents – INEC, President Tinubu, and the APC – have asked the court to dismiss the appeals, deeming them without merit. President Tinubu’s lawyer, Mr. Wole Olanipekun, SAN, described Atiku’s appeal as abusive and asked the court to dismiss it.
It’s worth noting that the Presidential Election Petition Court, led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, previously announced that the date for judgment would be communicated after parties adopted their final written addresses.
Security measures have been put in place for the judgment date to avoid congestion and security breaches.
At the core of this legal battle is the allegation that INEC manipulated the electoral process to favor the ruling APC and Tinubu. The petitioners argue that Tinubu did not meet the requirements to contest the presidential election and that the election itself was marred by substantial non-compliance with the law.
In their final addresses, the respondents contend that the petitioners have misunderstood the Electoral Act of 2022, asserting that the collation of results remained manual and that the INEC’s Results Viewing Portals were simply for public view, not part of the collation process.
The Labour Party (LP) expressed confidence that its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, will be declared the President. They believe the judgment will align with the people’s wishes and restore the mandate expressed on February 25 to its rightful winner.