In a marathon 12-hour judgment, the Presidential Election Petitions Court delivered a verdict, dismissing the petitions of three political parties challenging the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the February 25, 2023 presidential poll. The petitions came from the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with its flag bearer Atiku Abubakar, and the Labour Party (LP) with presidential candidate Peter Obi.
Justice Haruna Tsammani led the five-man panel, which not only dismissed the consolidated petitions of these parties but also affirmed Tinubu's victory as the duly elected President of Nigeria. Justice Tsammani stated that the petitions lacked merit and ordered the parties to bear their respective costs.
The Tribunal's proceedings were televised live from 9 am to past 9 pm and drew notable figures, including Vice-President Kashim Shettima of the APC and Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, among others. However, key individuals such as Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar, and Tinubu were not present.
The Tribunal first addressed the APM's case, which sought to nullify Tinubu's election. The court dismissed the APM's suit as lacking merit, stating that the issues raised were pre-election matters outside its jurisdiction.
Moving to the LP's petition, the Tribunal ruled that the LP's allegations of irregularities in the 2023 presidential election were generic, and INEC was at liberty to determine the mode of results transmission during the election.
The Tribunal also dismissed the claims about Tinubu's conviction and dual citizenship, reaffirming its earlier stance that these issues were incompetent and struck them out.
Regarding the inability to transmit results electronically, the Tribunal heard from 10 polling unit agents among the petitioner's 27 witnesses. They testified that voting was smooth, but they faced difficulties uploading results electronically to INEC's portal, opting for manual submission instead.
In conclusion, the Tribunal emphasized that litigation is based on pleadings, and parties are bound by their pleadings. It noted that the LP's petition did not reflect the law and the people's desires, and LP's response to the verdict will be made known after consulting with their lawyers.
President Tinubu welcomed the verdict and called on Atiku and Obi to work together with his government, emphasizing the importance of democracy and unity for the nation's progress