• Friday, March 29, 2024
businessday logo

BusinessDay

Atiku, PDP want presidential election annulled on 5 grounds

Atiku

 

Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 23 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, on Monday submitted a 141-page petition to the election tribunal sitting in Abuja.

The petition, which is premised on five grounds, is seeking to upturn the declaration of President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the election.
In the petition, Atiku and his party, the PDP are alleging that Buhari was not qualified to run for the office of the president on the grounds that he did not possess the constitutional minimum qualification of a school certificate.

The issue of certificate has dogged Buhari’s candidacy since 2015 when he won the presidential election.

Meanwhile, the petition has the Independent National Electoral Commission, Buhari and the APC as the first, second and third respondents, respectively.

Among the arguments for the appeal are: “The 2nd respondent (Buhari) was not duly elected by majority of lawful votes cast at the election.

“The election of the 2nd respondent is invalid by reason of corrupt practices.
“The election of the 2nd Respondent is invalid by reason of non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended).

“The 2nd respondent was at the time of the election not qualified to contest the said election.
“The 2nd respondent submitted to the 1st Respondent an affidavit containing false information of a fundamental nature in aid of his qualification for the said election.”

Atiku and PDP legal team is led by Livy Uzoukwu (SAN), as well as 21 Senior Advocates of Nigeria and 18 other lawyers.

Atiku and the PDP had filed a petition on Monday challenging the declaration of President Buhari as the winner of the Feb. 23 presidential election.

They filed the petition alleging massive riggings, malpractices and non-compliance substantially with the electoral laws.

Atiku and the PDP prayed the tribunal to declare them as winner of the presidential election.
In the alternative, the petitioners prayed the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) to nullify the poll and ordered for a fresh election that will be conducted in lines with provisions of the electoral laws.

The National Legal Adviser of the PDP, Emmanuel Enoidem, confirmed at the Court of Appeal, venue of the PEPT, that the petition had been filed.

Enoidem said that the PDP and its presidential candidate have already assembled tested legal team to argue their case.

He also disclosed that over 400 witnesses have been assembled to testify during the hearing of the petition.

On the order earlier granted to Atiku to inspect materials used in the conduct of the presidential election, he said that the party is using the report of the party’s polling agents across the country to establish facts of the petition.

 

Felix Omohomhion, Abuja