In a dramatic turn of events, two prominent presidential candidates, Atiku Abubakar, and Peter Obi, have simultaneously filed appeals before the Supreme Court with the shared objective of nullifying President Bola Tinubu’s electoral victory.
Their legal maneuvers come in response to the September 6th verdict by a five-member Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT), led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, which upheld Tinubu’s victory in the February 25th presidential election.
Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has assembled a team of lawyers led by Chief Chris Uche, SAN, to present his case before the apex court.
Atiku contends that the PEPT’s judgment dismissing his petition against the election outcome was fundamentally flawed and amounted to a grave miscarriage of justice.
He alleges that the appellate court erred in its interpretation of the Electoral Act, 2022, and points to evidence that suggests the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) acted in violation of election laws and regulations.
Atiku’s appeal hinges on the assertion that the PEPT’s decision was based on misinterpretations and misrepresentations of both the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and the Electoral Act, 2022.
In a parallel legal move, Peter Obi, the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has initiated his own challenge against President Tinubu’s victory.
Obi’s legal team, led by Dr. Livy Uzoukwu, SAN, filed their appeal with the Supreme Court on September 19, 2023, via a comprehensive 73-page notice.
In the notice, Obi and the LP express their dissatisfaction with the decisions of the PEPT and outline their intention to appeal to the Supreme Court based on the grounds presented in the notice.
Both Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi are now turning to the highest legal authority in the land, the Supreme Court, to make their case for nullifying President Tinubu’s electoral victory.
Their appeals will be closely watched as they navigate the complex legal terrain and present their arguments in their quest for justice and electoral redress.
