New Development: The Presidential Election Court Withholds Verdict in Atiku's Lawsuit Against Tinubu

By -

 

 


 

The Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja has completed its proceedings, reserving judgment in the case brought forward by Atiku Abubakar, who challenged the victory of President Bola Tinubu.

Haruna Tsammani, leading the five-member panel of the court, announced that the date for judgment would be communicated to all involved parties.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier declared President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the presidential election held on 25 February. However, Atiku, representing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), contested the outcome and filed a petition with the court. He sought the nullification of Tinubu's victory, alleging non-compliance with the Nigerian constitution and the Electoral Act.

During the recent court session, INEC's lawyer, Abubakar Mahmoud, urged the court to dismiss Atiku's petition, arguing that it lacked merit. According to Mr. Mahmoud, Atiku failed to provide sufficient evidence to support his allegations of non-compliance with the electoral act and INEC guidelines and regulations.

Mr. Mahmoud defended the use of the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) and INEC Results Viewing (IReV) during the presidential election. He stated that these innovations were successful, and the information generated by BVAS was securely stored on Amazon Web Services (AWS), a reliable platform worldwide. He refuted Atiku's claim that the IReV portal was compromised in favor of Tinubu.

Furthermore, Mr. Mahmoud addressed the issue of electronic transmission of results and the alleged human interference in the election process. He asserted that Atiku and the PDP had fabricated claims of an electronic collation system, which the evidence did not support. He clarified that any glitch in the real-time upload of results lasted for a limited time and had no human interference.

Regarding the statutory requirement of 25% votes in Abuja, Mr. Mahmoud deemed the argument illogical and against the provisions of the Constitution. He argued that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) should be treated as a state, and there was no case for non-compliance.

In his closing argument, President Tinubu's lead lawyer, Wole Olanipekun, defended the manual collation of the presidential election results. He stated that uploading results to IReV, whether done manually or electronically, did not affect the collation process. According to Mr. Olanipekun, collation was a physical and manual process, and the credibility of the electoral process remained intact.

With the court reserving judgment, all parties await the final decision that will determine the outcome of the presidential election dispute.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

UNICEF Reports: Diphtheria Outbreak Results in 122 Fatalities in Nigeria

By -
Image
  UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, has recently raised an alarm about the outbreak of diphtheria in Nigeria, which has resulted in the tragic loss of 122 lives. The disease has primarily affected children in 27 states, with a case fatality rate of 8.7 percent, causing significant concern among health authorities. As of July 2023, the country has reported 3,850 suspected cases, out of which 1,387 have been confirmed as diphtheria. The worst-hit states include Kano, Yobe, Katsina, Lagos, FCT, Sokoto, and Zamfara, which collectively account for a staggering 98 percent of the suspected cases. The majority of these cases, approximately 71.5 percent, have been found among children aged two to 14 years. Ms. Cristian Munduate, the UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, expressed her deep sorrow over the situation, noting that the victims of this outbreak were predominantly children. One heartbreaking revelation was that most of the affected children, especially those who succumbed to...
Read more

Dembele conveyed his parting message to Xavi as he bid farewell to Barcelona: "In an ideal world, I'd choose to stay, but fate has other plans."

By -
Image
      As the footballing world awaited the confirmation of Ousmane Dembele's transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain, intriguing reports began to surface about the reasons behind his decision and the heartfelt discussions he had with his mentor, manager Xavi Hernandez. Throughout the past twenty months, a strong bond had formed between the French winger and the esteemed manager. Under Xavi's guidance, Dembele had flourished on the pitch, producing some of his most dazzling performances in the iconic Blaugrana colors. Their relationship was more than just a typical player-coach dynamic; it was a genuine friendship that grew from mutual respect and admiration. However, Xavi couldn't hide his disappointment when questioned by the press after Barcelona's pre-season friendly against AC Milan. The impending departure of Dembele weighed heavily on his heart, but he remained professional and respectful, praising the player's talent and contribution to the team. Behin...
Read more

NLC Launches Protest Against Petrol Subsidy Removal in Lagos with Enhanced Security Measures

By -
Image
  The streets of Lagos were alive with the fervent voices of protesters as members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) took to the streets to stage nationwide demonstrations. Their grievance was a forceful opposition to the recent removal of petrol subsidy by the federal government. The heart of the protest was centered at the bustling Ikeja under-bridge in Lagos, where a sea of people had gathered to make their voices heard. This uprising was not a sudden decision; it came as the culmination of mounting frustration and discontent over policies that the NLC deemed "anti-poor" and "insensitive." Last week, the NLC had issued an ultimatum to the government, demanding a reversal of these policies within seven days. The clock had run out, and the government's attempts to quell the impending strike and protest had proven futile. The issues at the core of this unrest stemmed from President Bola Tinubu's declaration during his inaugural address on May 29. He boldl...
Read more