The Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal begins hearing on the petitions filed by the presidential candidates of Labour Party (LP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging the declaration of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as winner of the February 2023 presidential election.
National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress, Ahmad El-Marzuq, confirmed this. According to El-Marzuq, the APC legal team has been briefed and is ready to defend the party’s mandate.
Recall that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, declared Tinubu the president-elect on March 1.
According to INEC, Tinubu polled 8.8million votes to defeat Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and candidates of and 15 other parties.
Atiku and Obi have since filed separate petitions seeking orders to annul the election or declare them as winners.
Tinubu, APC and INEC have also filed counter-petitions at the tribunal, dismissing the claims of the PDP and LP.
Meanwhile, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the judiciary to fend off and protect itself from purported attempts to undermine its independence and impartiality.
The ruling party has been accused of plotting to influence the outcome of the petitions before the tribunal.
Speaking at the news conference yesterday, PDP national publicity secretary Hon. Debo Ologunagba claimed that APC had planned to sway the tribunal.
He claimed that the APC leaders have been intimidating, harassing, and threatening young people and prominent Nigerian figures for speaking out against actions being taken to impose a government that does not have the support of the majority of Nigerians, as expressed at the voting booths.
Presidential tribunal
