President Bola Tinubu, who contested as the presidential candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 election, has officially requested the Supreme Court to reject the appeal filed by Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition party.
Tinubu’s response, which was presented by his legal team, comes in response to Atiku’s notice of appeal.
This move follows the prior judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal on September 6, which dismissed Atiku’s petition challenging the outcome of the February 25 presidential election.
The tribunal cited Atiku’s failure to substantiate the claims in his petition and concluded that his case lacked merit.
Atiku subsequently filed a notice of appeal with 35 grounds before the Supreme Court on September 18, seeking to have the tribunal’s findings and conclusions overturned.
He argued that the tribunal had made “grave errors and gross misrepresentations” that resulted in a miscarriage of justice.
In his response, President Tinubu maintained that the presidential election petition tribunal had rightfully reached its verdict and upheld his election.
He emphasized that the appellants had failed to substantiate their allegations and provide any compelling reason for the apex court to overturn the lower court’s findings.
Tinubu also characterized Atiku’s appeal as “abusive in nature” and urged the Supreme Court to dismiss it.
He stated that the appeal lacked merit and bona fide and urged the court to affirm the lower court’s decision.
The legal battle continues as both parties await the Supreme Court’s decision.
