Supreme Court to decide Atiku’s appeal challenging Tinubu’s victory on Monday

On Monday, the Supreme Court is set to hear an appeal brought forth by Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). This appeal challenges the judgement that upheld the election victory of President Bola Tinubu.

Notably, the court issued hearing notices to the legal representatives of both parties last Thursday.

Abubakar and the PDP had previously submitted a petition disputing the results of the presidential election held on February 25.

Their petition cited numerous issues, including alleged irregularities and non-compliance with the Electoral Act. They also contended that neither Tinubu nor Vice President Kashim Shettima were qualified to run and that they did not secure the majority of lawful votes.

However, the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, in its verdict on September 6, found that Abubakar failed to substantiate his claims.

In response to this ruling, the PDP candidate filed an appeal with the Supreme Court on September 18.

The appeal, comprised of 35 grounds, argues that the tribunal’s findings contained significant errors and misrepresentations that led to a miscarriage of justice.

As a result, the appellants are requesting that the Supreme Court overturn the tribunal’s conclusions.

Read also:Atiku accuses Bola Tinubu of serial forgery and lying

In a separate request, Atiku Abubakar sought permission from the court to introduce new evidence against Tinubu. This evidence pertains to alleged discrepancies and forgeries in Tinubu’s academic records.

Abubakar was granted permission by a US court to obtain Tinubu’s academic records from Chicago State University (CSU) and is seeking to present this new evidence to the Supreme Court.

In response, Tinubu characterised the appeal as “abusive” and called for its dismissal. Tinubu is also challenging the application to introduce fresh evidence, asserting that the allegation of certificate forgery was not part of Abubakar’s original petition at the tribunal.

By law, the Supreme Court has a 60-day window from the date of the tribunal’s verdict to deliver its own judgement, which is set to expire on November 5.