Three presidential candidates filed petitions contesting the results of the election on February 25. The Supreme Court has set up a seven-member panel of justices to hear the appeal in these cases.
Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), and Chichi Ojei, the candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), received notice of the hearing.
According to Order 2 Rule 1(2) of the Supreme Court’s Rules 1985, as amended, the notices signed by Zainab M. Garba in the registrar’s office are judged to have been sufficiently served on the parties.
The list of members of the panel to sit on the appeals include justices Adamu Jauro, Uwani Musa Abba Aji, Lawal Garba, Helen M. Ogunwumiju, I.N. Saulawa, Tijjani Abubakar and Emmanuel Agim.
Atiku had in his appeal maintained that the Presidential Election Petitions Court erred when they dismissed his petition on the grounds that the petitioners failed to prove allegations of irregularities in the presidential election, 25 percent requirement in the FCT, $$60,000 forfeiture and failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit the results from the polling units to the IREV using BVAS as provided in its laws and guidelines.
Atiku also requested for permission to file Tinubu’s allegedly forged academic records in the application submitted by his attorney, Chris Uche (SAN).
Obi, on his part, claims that there was a miscarriage of justice when the panel rejected the blurry results from his 18,088 polling units.
According to Ojei of the APM, Tinubu and his deputy Kashim Shettima were disqualified for their positions due to improper nominations.
However, in his responses, Tinubu asked the court to rule that Atiku’s petition was without merit and a misuse of the legal system, represented by Wole Olanipekun (SAN).
Obi’s appeal, according to Tinubu, is a jamboree and has no validity.
Ada Peter
