Chris Uche, the lead counsel to Nigeria’s former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has declared that the inauguration ceremony of the President-elect Bola Tinubu will not impact the judgement of the election tribunal. Tinubu won the presidential election on March 1 following the declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) but his victory was contested by opposition leaders Atiku and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP).
Some prominent Nigerians, including the ex-Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Onaiyekan, have urged that Tinubu should not be sworn in until the election tribunal has concluded its proceedings.
Uche put to rest any concerns about the inauguration ceremony, stating that it was a mere formality that would not oblige the judges to reach any particular decision, adding that the court had provided its schedule for all parties and that the petitions would be examined without bias for swift judgment.
The electoral act ordains that the tribunal has about 180 days to evaluate and determine petitions, which means the court should have concluded its activities on or before September 16, 2023.
