Live update: The election tribunal

9:37am

The Election Tribunal is in session, and lawyers and petitioners are introducing themselves.

9:40 am

Abuja has been in total darkness since yesterday … many people are looking for how/where to watch the election tribunal proceedings.

11:19am

The Presidential Election Petitions Court has declared that it lacks the powers to hear the petition of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) challenging the qualification.

APM’s petition challenging the double nomination of VP Shettima has been struck out too.

The issue of qualification or non-qualification is a pre-election matter that ought to have been ventilated at the federal high court 14 days after the conduct of a primary election — Justice Haruna Tsammani

11:37am

Court goes on a break

12:30pm

Court session resumes, and Justice Haruna Tsammani continues reading the judgement for Peter Obi’s petitions.

1:20pm

The Presidential Election Petitions Court has held that the Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, failed to specify how they scored the majority of lawful votes in the February 25 presidential election.

The Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal rejected 10 out of 13 witnesses presented by the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi.

2:20pm

A petition by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, and the party alleging irregularities in the February 25 election was dismissed.

2: 50pm

The Presidential Election Petitions Court ruled that the Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, failed to prove that President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was convicted for money laundering in the United States.

5:47pm

Here is a summary of some of the rulings made at the tribunal at this time

• President Tinubu is academically qualified to contest for president.
• The fraud case against President Tinubu is not proven
• President Tinubu was cleared of drug-related crimes in the US.
• 25% in FCT is not required to become president.
• INEC is at liberty to choose its method of transmitting results. E-transmission not mandatory
• Evidence by Peter Obi didn’t prove he won the presidential election.
• The double nomination case against Shettima is incompetent.

6:30pm

The tribunal dismissed the petition by the Labour Party. The court said the Labour Party petition was “clearly based on rhetoric,” the petitioners failed to provide evidence to support their claims.

The Labour Party has rejected the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Court and is planning its next move.

6:40pm

The court reads judgment on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) petitions.

10:00PM

The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal affirms the election of Bola Tinubu as President of Nigeria.

Justice Haruna Tsammani, leader of the five-person panel, said, “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.”