Nigeria’s principal opposition candidates have announced their intention to appeal a recent tribunal ruling that upheld Bola Tinubu’s victory in the contentious presidential election held in February. They contend that there were irregularities during the election.
Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, who secured the second and third positions, respectively, had jointly filed a petition seeking the annulment of the election results. Their claims ranged from allegations of vote fraud to the electoral agency’s failure to electronically post results. They had also sought Tinubu’s disqualification.
However, the Presidential Election Petition Court, in a judgement that spanned over 11 hours, dismissed their petitions point by point. This outcome aligns with the historical pattern in Nigeria, where legal challenges to presidential election results have not succeeded since the country’s return to democracy in 1999.
In response, Atiku Abubakar expressed his refusal to accept the judgment, stating, “I refuse to accept the judgment because I believe that it is bereft of substantial justice.” He announced his decision to activate his constitutionally guaranteed right of appeal to the Supreme Court.
Similarly, Peter Obi voiced his respect for the tribunal’s views but disagreed with the verdict. He affirmed his intention, along with that of the Labour Party, to immediately appeal the decision. Obi stated, “Our legal team has already received our firm instruction to file an appeal against the decision. I shall not relent in the quest for justice, not necessarily for myself but indeed for our teeming supporters all over the country, whose mandate to us at the polls was regrettably truncated.”
The process for filing an appeal at the Supreme Court stipulates that it must be done within 14 days from the date of the tribunal ruling. Subsequently, the Supreme Court has 60 days to hear the case and issue its ruling.
