…2 of 3 petitions that got to Supreme Court up for adjudication today
…We’ve a good case at the apex court —LP

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri & John Alechenu

ABUJA — THE die is cast. The legal fisticuffs over the February 25 presidential election will be concluded today as a seven-man panel of the Supreme Court rules on the appeals of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mr. Peter Obi challenging the election of President Bola Tinubu.

Atiku, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; and Obi, his Labour Party, LP, counterpart, are seeking to nullify the election of President Tinubu, who contested on the banner of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The two lost their quest to stop Tinubu at the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, on September 6 and consequently approached the apex court, which heard their appeals, on Monday. All the parties -Atiku, PDP, Obi, LP, Tinubu, APC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, adopted their final briefs of argument on Monday and the court led by Justice Inyang Okoro reserved its judgment.

The apex court communicated today’s judgment date to all the parties, yesterday, through a notice signed by one of its Registrars.

The seven justices who will take the landmark decision today are Inyang Okoro, Uwani Abba-Aji, Lawal Garba, Ibrahim Saulawa, Adamu Jauro, Abubakar Tijjani and Emmanuel Akomaye Agim

Atiku, Obi’s appeals

Atiku and Obi are challenging the INEC’s declaration that Tinubu of the ruling APC, was the valid winner of the February 25 presidential election, and are praying the apex court to set aside the September 6 judgment of the PEPC, which dismissed their allegation that the election was rigged in favour of the APC.

Apart from challenging President Tinubu’s eligibility to participate in the contest, Atiku, who came second and Obi who came third, maintained that Tinubu did not secure the majority of valid votes cast during the election to be declared the winner.

Though five petitions were initially entered against the declaration of President Tinubu as winner of the presidential contest that involved 17 candidates, only three of the petitions made it to the apex court.

Whereas two of the petitions were withdrawn before they could even be heard by the PEPC, which held its proceedings at the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, of the three petitions that were entered at the Supreme Court, only two made it to the last lap of the litigation.

The seven-man panel of the apex court led by Justice Inyang Okoro, had on Monday, dismissed the case the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, instituted to nullify President Tinubu’s victory, after the party reluctantly withdrew its appeal which the panel insisted was academic and of no useful legal purpose.

Consequently, the surviving appeals were the ones filed by a former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi.

Meanwhile, the LP has expressed confidence that it will emerge victorious in today’s ruling of the court, hinging its confidence on the quality and quantity of evidence as well as what it described as its convincing arguments before the Supreme Court.

National Legal Adviser of the party, Kehinde Edun said this in an interactive session with reporters, in Abuja, yesterday.

He spoke while responding to a question on the party’s expectations ahead of today’s judgment by the Supreme Court.

The Legal Adviser said: “We are expecting victory because that is what justice demands; that is what Nigerians want. We will not lose hope. We have presented our case before the court. We are confident of victory for the Labour Party and for Nigerians. We know that there will be jubilation everywhere in Nigeria.”

Profile of the justices

A peep into the profiles of the six men and a woman, shows a collection of justices who have made their mark on the bench.

Justice John Okoro
Justice Okoro, the head of the panel, was born on July 11, 1959 in Nung Ukim, Ikono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

Justice Uwani Musa Abba-Aji
Justice Abba Aji is the most ranking female jurist on the apex court bench and the only female on the panel.

She was born on November 7, 1956, in Gashua, Yobe State.

Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba
Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba was born on November 16, 1958. He hails from Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

Justice Ibrahim Saulawa
Justice Saulawa was born on September 29, 1956 in Katsina. Katina State.

Justice Adamu Jauro
Justice Adamu Jauro was born on June 26, 1959. He hails from Gombe State.

Justice Emmanuel Agim
Justice Emmanuel Agim was born on April 26, 1960, in Obudu, Cross Rivers State.

Justice Ibrahim Tijjani
Was born on November 4, 1961, in Jimeta, Bauchi state

An igbo man will never rule this Country.

please if not for anything just consider the future of we the youth , the future will never forget you for any decision you take today, posterity will always judge and also know that any decision you take today will determine how your children children will be proud of you in the future. i no longer have faith in our judiciary but you all can change that today.

main reason we remain where we are, fool, is igbo not nigerian? suffer no dey tire you? mind you am a typical yoruba man before u start calling IPOD NAME.

ZombidiotFools:
An igbo man will never rule this Country.

main reason we remain where we are, fool, is igbo not nigerian? suffer no dey tire you? mind you am a typical yoruba man before u start calling IPOD NAME

Hehehehe

All Eyez On Them

Headless mobs don turn 2pac