Supreme Court to deliver final judgement on Atiku/Obi Appeal

The Supreme Court of the nation is set to deliver a crucial judgement on Thursday, October 26, 2023, pertaining to the hotly contested presidential election cases.

The cases involve the Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Bola Tinubu.

The dispute stems from the September 6 ruling of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT), which had upheld Bola Tinubu’s electoral victory, triggering appeals from the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and the LP candidate, Peter Obi.

The announcement of the judgement date was jointly confirmed by all parties involved on Wednesday, creating a sense of anticipation and tension surrounding the decision.

In their final plea at the apex court, Atiku Abubakar and the PDP presented their case against the verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Court, which had previously affirmed Bola Tinubu’s victory in the presidential poll that took place on February 25.

A seven-member panel of the Supreme Court, led by Justice Inyang Okoro, disclosed the scheduled judgement date following the conclusion of arguments presented by the legal representatives of the involved parties.

The court also considered the motion filed by Atiku Abubakar to introduce fresh evidence related to alleged forged documents.

Chris Uche, the counsel representing Atiku Abubakar, urged the court to grant the motion and subsequently allow their appeal while requesting the disqualification of Bola Tinubu.

On the contrary, counsel for the respondents, including Abubakar Mahmoud for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Wole Olanipekun for President Bola Tinubu, and Akin Olujinmi for the All Progressives Congress (APC), urged the court to dismiss both the motion and the appeal, claiming they lack merit.