Percy Onyeka
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) Alhaji Abubakar Atiku has made true his threat to approach the supreme court in rejection of the September 6 ruling of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal that dismissed his petiton challenging the declaration of president Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the February 25 presidential election in Nigeria by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
Atiku and his Labour Party (LP) counterpart, Peter Obi had earlier approached the presidential election Petitions tribunal while rejecting the declaration of Tinubu by INEC.
The three man PEPT headed by Justice Simon Haruna Tsamanni however gave it’s judgement on the petition of PDP, LP as well as Allied People’s Party (APM) and their presidential candidates, dismissing all the petitions and prayers.
Dissatisfied with the tribunal’s rulings, both Atiku and Peter Obi and their political parties disclosed their readiness to challenge the ruling upon receipt of the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgement.
Atiku has however made true his threat, when he approached the Supreme Court on Tuesday, seeking a nullification of the Presidential Election Petition Court’s judgement, which on September 6, that upheld the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as winner of the 2023 presidential election.
The former vice president in his Notice of Appeal, which he predicated on 35 grounds, insisted that the tribunal in the judgment delivered by Justice Haruna Simon Tsamman
The Notice of Appeal, which was filed Tuesday by Atiku’s lead counsel, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, is praying the Supreme 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.
Among others, the former Vice President 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 and based on the “doctrine of legitimate expectation”.
Techrectory with Agency Report.
