President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the appeal filed by Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25 presidential election, challenging his declaration as president. Tinubu’s request is based on the grounds that Atiku’s appeal is lacking in merit and constitutes an abuse of court process.
Atiku had filed a petition seeking the nullification of Tinubu’s election, alleging irregularities, malpractices, and non-compliance with electoral laws. However, the presidential election tribunal upheld Tinubu’s victory in a unanimous judgment.
In response, Atiku approached the Supreme Court, urging it to set aside the tribunal’s judgment and presenting new evidence alleging that Tinubu had forged his Chicago State University (CSU) certificate. He also accused Tinubu of lying under oath about his academic qualifications.
Tinubu’s legal team, led by Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, argued that Atiku’s appeal has not demonstrated any reason for the Supreme Court to overturn the lower court’s findings. They challenged the competence of the grounds of appeal and the issues formulated in Atiku’s brief.
Tinubu’s response addressed several key issues, including the transmission of election results and the requirement for a candidate to secure 25% of the votes in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The response also criticized Atiku’s inconsistent approach in requesting a second election while alleging that Tinubu had not qualified for the first.
Tinubu urged the Supreme Court to dismiss Atiku’s appeal, describing it as an abusive use of court processes. The court will ultimately decide the fate of this appeal.