Following the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal’s ruling which upheld the victory of President Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has expressed his rejection of the judgment.
Atiku has now stated his intention to challenge the tribunal’s decision at the Supreme Court, continuing his quest for the presidency, News About Nigeria understands.
The tribunal, on Wednesday September 6, 2023, declared the petitions against Tinubu by both Atiku and the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, as lacking merit.
Consequently, it affirmed Tinubu as the duly elected President of Nigeria, endorsing his victory in the February 25 presidential election.
Head of the tribunal, Justice Haruna Tsammani, along with Justices Stephen Adah, Monsurat Bolaji-Yusuf, Moses Ugo, and Abba Mohammed, delivered the judgment.
After dismissing Atiku’s petition, Justice Tsammani stated, “This petition accordingly lacks merit. I affirm the return of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the duly elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The parties are to bear their cost.”
In response to the tribunal’s decision, Atiku wasted no time and promptly instructed his legal team to challenge the verdict at the Supreme Court.
His Lead Counsel, Chris Uche, SAN, confirmed this, emphasizing that Atiku seeks redress at the apex court, stating, “The judgment has been delivered but we have not received justice.
“Luckily, the law has given us leverage to go on appeal to the Supreme Court. We have instructions from our clients to go to the Supreme Court. The struggle continues.”
Similarly, the Labour Party, which was also party to the petitions, expressed its dissatisfaction with the tribunal’s judgment.
According to the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiorah Ifoh, justice was not served in the cases against the President and his party.
The party intends to consult its lawyers and announce its next course of action after receiving the Certified True Copy of the judgments.
The Labour Party argued that the tribunal’s verdict “did not reflect the law and the desire of the people.”
