By Shola Soyele
The Presidential Election Petitions Court on Wednesday affirmed the election of President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
On whether the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was right to return Tinubu as the duly elected by majority of lawful votes cast in the February 25, 2023 poll, the Tribunal held that the petitioner — the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its flag bearer, Atiku Abubakar — did not successfully prove the allegations against this ground and indeed all the grounds in their petition.
Justice Haruna Tsammani, leader of the five-man panel, said, “This petition accordingly lacks merit. I affirm the return of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the duly elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The parties are to bear their cost.”
The court also expunged 37 exhibits tendered by the witnesses from the court’s records.
On the issue of dumping of documents on the court, he held that this would only go to the weight to be attached to such evidence.
On the issue of Tinubu’s conviction and the issue of his dual citizenship, the Tribunal again held like it earlier did that this issues were incompetent and liable to be struck out and same were indeed struck out.
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