The Supreme Court has deferred judgment in the petition submitted by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, which seeks to invalidate the declaration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 presidential election.
Justice John Inyang Okoro, heading a seven-member panel of Justices of the Court, announced the postponement of the final judgment following arguments presented by lawyers in the case.
Justice Okoro stated that the judgment date would be communicated to the parties involved.
During the proceedings, Atiku Abubakar insisted that President Bola Tinubu should be disqualified from the 2023 presidential election, contending that Tinubu was not constitutionally qualified to stand for the election at the time he did. Atiku urged the Supreme Court to annul Tinubu’s victory in the election based on alleged certificate forgery and perjury.
In the absence of outright disqualification, Atiku requested that the Supreme Court order a rerun between him and Tinubu.
Tinubu, represented by his lead counsel, Wole Olanipekun SAN, called for the dismissal of Atiku’s claims of certificate forgery and lying on oath, arguing that Atiku’s allegations were unsubstantiated and lacked probative value.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), represented by Abubakar Mahmoud SAN, also argued that Atiku’s petition should be dismissed for lacking merit. The All Progressives Congress (APC), led by Chief Akin Olujinmi SAN, supported Olanipekun’s position in calling for the dismissal of the petition.
