Nigeria’s apex court, the Supreme Court has laid to rest the litigation arising from the February 25 presidential election.
The Supreme Court in an unanimous judgement dismissed the petition by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi and affirmed the victory of President Tinubu.
The Supreme Court dismissed the motion by Atiku and the PDP seeking to tender fresh evidence in the form of deposition documents obtained from Chicago State University on President Bola Tinubu’s academic records.
“It was clear to everyone including those who brought the disposition that it is of no value. It was a vexatious application”, the Supreme Court ruled.
The Supreme Court also ruled that the failure of the IREV portal or non electronic transmission of results do not invalidate the polls.
The Supreme Court also adopted the position held in the appeal filed by the PDP in the petition filed by the Labour Party, and dismisses appeal.
On the double nomination application brought by the Labour Party, the court said:
“Double nomination ought not to have come to this Court. The Court cannot sit and begin to explain when this man resigned and when there was a fresh Primary.
“There is an end to litigation. The issue of double nomination was rested in May.
“All other grounds were dealt with in the Atiku’s appeal and apply to this mutantis mutandis.This appeal lacks merit”
The apex court also ruled that it is not compulsory a candidate scores two thirds in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) if he or she has two thirds in 36 states.
The apex court also had some strong words for the appellants:
“May I sound this to those who always rush to make press conferences or threatening judges while doing their job, there nothing you can gain from such act”.
