Supreme Court: Why we upheld Buhari’s victory

Nigeria’s apex court, the Supreme Court, has said the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate in the 2019 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, failed to provide sufficient evidence to back up their claim that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had a sever to which election results were transmitted.

The Court stated this on Friday, while giving reasons for dismissing Atiku’s appeal against President Muhammadu Buhari’s victory . Buhari was the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the election.

The Court said that the petitioner was wrong to have relied on results from a website which could not be verified.

Inyang Okoro, the Justice who delivered the judgment, said that Atiku and the PDP failed to prove that INEC was the owner of the server where they got the result.

The Supreme Court also ruled that Buhari possessed the constitutional educational qualification to contest for the presidential position, while the constitution or electoral Act did not make it mandatory for candidates to attach copies of their certificates while submitting their forms to INEC.

Iwok Iniobong

With years of experience in Nigerian journalism, Iniobong Iwok has built a reputation for deep political insight, compelling storytelling, and consistent, fact-driven reporting. Over the years, he has gained extensive experience reporting and writing incisive political analysis. Iniobong has interviewed key political figures across Nigeria and covered major national events, including the 2019 and 2023 general elections. A versatile journalist, he also has strong experience in education reporting and sector analysis. His work reflects a deep commitment to good governance and public accountability. Iniobong holds a B.Sc. in Sociology from the University of Ilorin and an M.Sc. in Sociology (Development Specialisation) from Lagos State University.