President Bola Tinubu has issued a warning regarding the potential consequences of nullifying the presidential election held on February 25, in which he was declared the winner. He cautioned that if the election were invalidated due to his failure to secure 25% of the lawful votes in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it could lead to absurdity, chaos, anarchy, and a distortion of the legislature’s original intent.
Tinubu presented his arguments in a final written address to the Presidential Election Petition Court (PREPEC) in response to two petitions filed by candidates from the Labour Party (LP) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). These petitions challenged the validity of Tinubu’s victory, claiming non-compliance with electoral guidelines, regulations, and relevant laws. Tinubu argued that the petitions raised new issues and were not aligned with the country’s electoral laws.
The PREPEC panel, headed by Justice Haruna Tsammani, granted the respondents ten days to submit their written address, while the petitioners were given seven days to respond. Tinubu, along with his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), concluded their defense in the two petitions following the completion of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) case.
The petitions were filed by Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, along with their respective parties, contesting INEC’s declaration of Tinubu as the winner of the presidential election. They sought the nullification of Tinubu’s victory, alleging non-compliance with electoral guidelines, regulations, and relevant laws.
According to INEC’s Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Tinubu secured 8,794,726 votes, while Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi obtained 6,984,520 votes and 6,101,533 votes, respectively. The petitioners argued that Tinubu did not meet the requirement of securing 25% of the lawful votes in the FCT and also raised concerns about his alleged disqualification due to a United States District Court judgment regarding suspected drug trafficking proceeds. They also cited the alleged double nomination of Shettima, another candidate associated with Tinubu.
During the proceedings, Atiku presented 27 witnesses, including INEC’s Presiding Officers and experts, while Obi called 13 witnesses and submitted numerous documents, including over 18,000 blurred result sheets. INEC, Tinubu, and the APC challenged the credibility of the witnesses and documents, urging the court to dismiss the petitions based on their lack of familiarity with the country’s electoral laws.
Tinubu’s counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun, argued that the petitioners’ case centered around the non-electronic transmission of results to the INEC Election Result Viewing (IREV) Portal and Tinubu’s alleged failure to secure 25% of the votes in the FCT. Olanipekun emphasized that the interpretation of the Constitution and electoral laws did not support the nullification of the entire election based on the FCT results. He contended that all votes and voters should be treated equally, regardless of their location.
The senior lawyer also questioned the credibility of the petitioners’ witnesses and challenged the reliance on electronic transmission. He asserted that the election was conducted peacefully and in compliance with electoral regulations. Olanipekun further addressed the alleged US forfeiture proceedings, stating that no admissible evidence existed to invalidate Tinubu’s election.
In his closing arguments, Olanipekun urged the court to dismiss the petitions as lacking merit, substance, and bona fide, characterizing them as an abuse of the court process. He requested that the court include 10,929 discounted votes from Kano State in Tinubu’s total count, which would bring his final votes to 8,800,369.
The PREPEC is currently reviewing the arguments presented by both sides before making a ruling on the petitions.
