0
0
President Bola Tinubu has requested the Supreme Court to dismiss the appeal filed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging his victory in the 2023 presidential election.
The President has characterized the appeal as being abusive in nature and has respectfully asked for its dismissal.
Furthermore, President Tinubu has maintained that the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku, and his party failed to substantiate their allegations and submissions during the Tribunal proceedings.
Tinubu firmly believes that the tribunal’s verdict was correct and just in affirming his election as President. He urges the apex court to uphold the lower court’s decision while dismissing the appeal in its entirety, as it lacks merit and bona fide grounds.
Atiku and the PDP had lodged a petition challenging the outcome of the presidential election, which took place on February 25, 2023.
Among various issues raised, the petitioners alleged that the election was tainted by irregularities and substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act. They also contended that Tinubu and his vice, Kashim Shettima, were not qualified to run and did not secure the majority of lawful votes.
The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, in its judgment on September 6, however, ruled that Atiku failed to substantiate the claims made in his petition.
In response, the PDP candidate submitted an appeal to the apex court on September 18, 2023. In their 35 grounds notice of appeal, the appellants argued that the tribunal’s findings contained “grave errors and gross misrepresentations,” leading to a miscarriage of justice. Consequently, the appellants are requesting the Supreme Court to set aside the entirety of the tribunal’s findings and conclusions.
