NIGERIA: Atiku & Obi files appeal at Supreme Court, seeks nullification of judgment

 

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court, seeking nullification of the judgment of the Presidential Election Petitions Court, which upheld the declaration of President Bola Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 polls.

In the notice of appeal predicated on 35 grounds, Atiku insisted that the tribunal committed a grave error and miscarriage of justice in its findings and conclusion in its petition challenging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s declaration of Tinubu as President.

The notice of appeal is also praying the apex court to set aside the whole findings and conclusions of the Tribunal on the grounds that they did not represent the true picture of the grounds of his petition.

Atiku maintained that the tribunal erred in law when it failed to nullify the presidential election held on February 25, 2023, on the grounds of non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022, when by evidence before the Tribunal, INEC conducted the election based on grave and gross misrepresentation, contrary to the principles of the Electoral Act 2022, based on the doctrine of legitimate expectation.

Also, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has filed 51 grounds of appeal at the Supreme Court to nullify the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) which upheld Bola Tinubu’s presidential election victory.

In the appeal filed on Tuesday, Obi described the tribunal’s verdict as erroneous.

His lead counsel, Dr. Livy Uzoukwu (SAN) argues that the tribunal justices were wrong in concluding that the petitioners did not specify the polling units where irregularities and malpractices occurred or the number of votes they alleged were suppressed, deflated, or inflated.