The Supreme Court is poised to make a landmark decision on Thursday as it delivers its judgment on the appeals filed by the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Abubakar Atiku and Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi. This follows their contestation of the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), which dismissed their election petitions challenging the outcome of the February 25th presidential election and affirmed the election of President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking to newsmen in Abuja, Mr Festus Akande, the Director of Information of the Supreme Court, confirmed the date for the delivery of the judgment.
The apex court had reserved judgment on Monday after hearing the appeals of Messrs Obi and Atiku, challenging the verdict of the PEPC that upheld the victory of President Tinubu. On September 6th, the PEPC dismissed the petitions of Messrs Atiku and Obi, citing a lack of merit, and affirmed the election of President Bola Tinubu.
Dissatisfied with the judgment, the duo approached the Supreme Court, seeking to have the ruling of the lower court overturned in their favor.
In Atiku’s notice of appeal, which comprises 35 grounds, he argued that the PEPC made an erroneous decision in the judgment delivered by the Chairman of the panel, Justice Haruna Tsammani. Atiku’s lead counsel, Chris Uche, SAN, stated that the judgment of the PEPC was a miscarriage of justice. He contended that the lower court erred by not annulling the presidential election held on February 25th, due to non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022.
According to Atiku, the evidence presented before the court revealed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted the election based on grave and gross misrepresentation, which contravenes the principles of the Electoral Act 2022, as well as the doctrine of legitimate expectation.
Specifically, Atiku requested the Supreme Court to nullify the findings and conclusions of the PEPC, as he believed they did not truly represent the grounds of his petition.
On the other hand, Mr Obi, represented by his lead counsel, Mr Levi Uzoukwu, SAN, urged the apex court to overturn the judgement of the PEPC that dismissed his petition. Uzoukwu requested the court to grant all the prayers sought in his client’s appeal.
In response, the legal representatives of the respondents, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), President Tinubu, and the All Progressives Congress (APC), all called on the court to dismiss the appeals, citing a lack of merit and frivolity.
President Tinubu’s lawyer, Wole Olanipekun, SAN, described the appeals as lacking in merit and requested their dismissal. Similarly, Mahmoud Yakubu, SAN, representing INEC, and Akin Olujimi urged the panel to dismiss the appeals for the same reason.
Following the hearing of both appeals, the seven-man panel of justices, led by Justice Inyang Okoro, announced that the date for judgment would be communicated to all concerned parties.
Although Atiku and Obi’s petitions were consolidated, they were heard separately.
NAN
