The Supreme Court will begin hearing today (Monday) on appeals filed by Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party, and the Allied Peoples Movement, APM. The appeals seek to unseat President Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
NewsNow reports that Atiku, Obi, and the APM filed separate appeals at the apex court to nullify the outcome of the February 25 presidential election after the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal upheld Tinubu’s victory.
Last Thursday, the Supreme Court notified all parties of the hearing date.
Atiku and Obi challenged the tribunal’s verdict and subsequently filed appeals at the Supreme Court.
The PDP candidate also requested permission to present a copy of Tinubu’s academic records from the Chicago State University, CSU, USA. Atiku claimed that the records showed Tinubu had submitted a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The former vice president is also seeking a court order from Washington, D.C. to force the FBI to release documents on President Tinubu’s $460,000 forfeiture case.
NewsNow recalls that on October 13, Tinubu requested that the Supreme Court disregard the Chicago State University academic records presented by Atiku Abubakar.
Tinubu argued that the CSU discovery was irrelevant to the judicial proceedings in the country.
Tinubu further stated that Atiku had a habit of first filing a petition and then seeking evidence, which he demonstrated during his appeal against the tribunal’s judgment.
The president’s lawyers, led by Wole Olanipekun, SAN, argued that Atiku’s claim of discrepancies in his credentials was fabricated.
NewsNow reports that there are concerns about whether the apex court will admit fresh evidence or not.
However, Mathew Abakpa, a legal practitioner in Rivers State, revealed that it is “legally possible” for the Supreme Court to admit Atiku’s fresh evidence. He added that what the Supreme Court does with the evidence afterwards is a different matter.
