Breaking: End of the road for Atiku/Obi as Supreme Court affirms Tinubu’s election as President

“In a unanimous judgment on Thursday, the apex court dismissed the appeals of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate and Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) for lack of merit’’

The Supreme Court on Thursday put paid to all litigations arising from the February 25, 2023 presidential poll as it affirmed the election of Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the duly elected President of Nigeria.

A seven-member panel of the Supreme Court led by Justice John Okoro, in a unanimous judgment, dismissed the appeals of the Atiku Abubakar the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate and Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) as lacking merit.

The apex court rejected the application of Atiku to file fresh evidence in his case against Tinubu over the Chicago State University (CSU) certifcate.

During the Thursday ruling, Justice Okoro declared: “It runs foul of the Electoral Act 2022 which says that `after the expiration of the time for presenting election petition, no amendment shall be made’,’’

The judge also held that the appellants (Atiku and PDP) were “were tardy and not diligent enough” to obtain the records from CSU considering that they had one year since President Bola Tinubu submitted his nomination form to INEC.

Persecondnews reports that following the petition of Atiku and Obi seeking to disqualify Tinubu due to his inability to win 25 percent in FCT in the presidential poll, the learned silk said the apex court agreed with the judgment of the Appeal Court that 25 per cent in FCT is “immaterial,’’ insisting there was nothing wrong with the tribunal’s decision.

The Supreme Court upheld the decision of the tribunal striking out offensive paragraphs of a witness statement after examining the credibility of witnesses called during the hearing the Tribunal.

The duo of Atiku and Obi, in their separate prayers to the apex court, had challenged the verdict of the Presidential Election Petitions Court sitting in Abuja, which affirmed Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 presidential poll.

The five-man panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani not only dismissed the consolidated petitions of the PDP, the APM, and the LP, but it also clearly affirmed the victory of Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, in the poll.

Justice Tsammani said: “This petition accordingly lacks merit. I affirm the return of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the duly elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The parties are to bear their cost.”

Persecondnews recalls that Atiku at a world press conference, had said he would end the legal battle challenging the process and election that brought President Bola Tinubu into office after the Supreme Court’s judgment.

He had said: “The case is still in court. I will only drop this fight if the court rules. If the court rules that I’m right, fine, and if the court rules that Tinubu is right, fine. There is no other court higher than the Supreme Court. That is where it all ends.’’