The Supreme Court has scheduled Monday, October 23, as the date for delivering its judgment in the appeal brought forward by Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), challenging the verdict of the Presidential Tribunal, which upheld the victory of President Bola Tinubu.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared President Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 election. Atiku, who secured the second position, took his case to the court, where his suit was eventually struck out.
In his appeal to the highest court in the country, Atiku submitted a 35-ground notice of appeal, asserting that the tribunal, led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, had “committed a grave error.”
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Atiku’s lead counsel, Chris Uche, SAN, filed the Notice of Appeal, requesting the Supreme Court to set aside the entire findings and conclusions of the Tribunal. He argued that these findings did not accurately represent the grounds of Atiku’s petition.
Among other issues, the former Vice President contended that the Tribunal made a legal error by not annulling the presidential election on the basis of non-compliance with the Electoral Act of 2022.
He claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission conducted the election based on serious misrepresentation, which contradicted the principles of the Electoral Act of 2022, according to the “doctrine of legitimate expectation.”
However, following the outcome of a certificate suit he initiated against Tinubu in the United States, Atiku implored the Supreme Court to permit him to present fresh evidence supporting his allegation that Tinubu had submitted a forged document to INEC.
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Atiku emphasized that presenting forged documents by any candidate, especially a candidate for the highest office in the nation, is a serious constitutional issue that should not be tolerated.
In response, Tinubu urged the Supreme Court to reject the application, deeming it an abuse of court processes.
Nevertheless, Atiku argued that the issue of merit should not be determined or pronounced upon at the interlocutory stage, calling on the court to prioritize fairness over technicalities.
