After A 12-Hour Marathon Judgment, Tribunal Dismisses Obi And Atiku’s Petitions, Affirms Tinubu’s Victory
The Presidential Election Petitions Court delivered a 12-hour marathon judgment on Wednesday, throwing out the petitions of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM); the petitions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its flag bearer, Atiku Abubakar; as well as the petitions of Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Tinubu had been declared winner by INEC on March 1st after securing over 8 million votes. Trailing were Atiku with nearly 7 million votes and Obi with over 6 million.
In the lead judgment, Justice Tsammani stated the tribunal found no merit in the petitions. He affirmed the return of Tinubu as duly elected President of Nigeria, with parties to bear their own costs.
Justices Adah, Bolaji-Yusuf, Ugo and Mohammed unanimously agreed with Tsammani’s judgment, taking turns to reject Atiku and Obi’s petitions. The panel ruled that the challengers failed to prove their allegations of election flaws.
The dismissed petitions contested INEC’s declaration citing issues like Tinubu’s qualification and alleged improper accreditation of voters.
But the tribunal affirmed Tinubu as validly attaining the highest lawful votes. The ruling signals judicial endorsement of Tinubu’s mandate after contentious election disputes.
By upholding the electoral victory, the tribunal’s judgment now clears the way for Tinubu’s administration to focus wholly on governing after months of uncertainty. However, the option for the petitioners to appeal to the Supreme Court remains open.
The reworked version aims to concisely summarize the key facts and outcome in the tribunal’s significant verdict regarding Nigeria’s closely contested presidential election. Let me know if you would like me to modify or expand the rewrite further.
