There is trepidation as a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court hears Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi’s arguments against the Presidential victory Petition Court’s decision to uphold President Bola Tinubu’s victory today.
Members of the panel, who have yet to be named, will hear appeals from Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) disputing Tinubu’s election as the leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja headed by Haruna Tsammani had ruled that Atiku and Obi failed to substantiate their separate claims of widespread electoral malpractices during the conduct of the 25 February presidential election by Nigeria’s electoral commission, INEC.
The court also dismissed another petition filed by the APM on the ground that the suit was lacking in merit.
Atiku, Obi, and the APM all filed separate appeals to challenge the decision of the court.
The issues raised in the appeals include the eligibility of President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima’s candidature for the election.
The appellants also raised the issue of Tinubu’s inability to secure 25 percent of valid votes cast in Abuja during the polls.
They are also contesting INEC’s failure to electronically transmit polling unit results to its Results Viewing (IReV) portal in real-time and allegations of vote manipulation in favor of Tinubu.
Another key bone of contention before the seven-member panel of the Supreme Court is Tinubu’s academic records, which were obtained from Chicago State University (CSU) in October by Atiku.
Atiku has already filed the president’s educational documents before the court, urging it to examine the authenticity of Tinubu’s academic records from CSU.
However, Tinubu’s lead lawyer, Wole Olanipekun, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), in court filings said Atiku and Obi’s appeals lack substance.
