BREAKING: Supreme Court reserves judgment on Atiku’s certificate forgery evidence against Tinubu

Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate, appealed the decision by the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) declaring Bola Tinubu the winner of the most recent presidential election.

The Supreme Court has reserved judgment in this case.

After the attorneys for the parties adopted their argument briefs and delivered their closing arguments, a seven-member panel of the court, presided over by Justice John Okoro, made the announcement.

On the motion submitted by the appellants to provide new evidence, the court also heard arguments from attorneys for the parties.

Chris Uche (SAN), the attorney for the appellants, pleaded with the court to grant the motion, let their appeal, grant the requested requests, and dismiss Tinubu.

Attorneys for the respondents, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN (for Tinubu), Chief Akin Olujinmi, SAN (for the All Progressives Congress), and Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN (for the Independent National Electoral Commission) requested the court to dismiss the application and appeal for lack of merit.

The court has since reconvened to hear the Allied Peoples Movement’s (APM) petition after taking a brief recess.

Atiku Abubakar appealed the Presidential Election Petition Court’s decision before the Supreme Court of Nigeria, as reported by SaharaReporters.

Atiku and the PDP are the Appellants in the lawsuit with the case number SC/ /2023 CA/PEPC/05/2023. The Respondents are INEC, Tinubu Bola Ahmed, and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The Appellants in the Notice of Appeal said they were

“dissatisfied with the decision more particularly stated in paragraph 2 herein, contained in the consolidated judgment of the Court of Appeal (sitting as the Presidential Election Petition Court), coram:- Haruna Simon Tsammani, JCA, Stephen Jonah Adah, JCA, Misitura Omodere Bolaji-Yusuff, JCA, Boloukuroma Moses Ugo, JCA, and Abba Bello Mohammed, JCA delivered 6th September 2023 in Petition No. CA/PEPC/05/2023 between Abubakar Atiku & Anor vs Independent National Electoral Commission & 2 Ors, particularly contained from pages 487 to 752 of the consolidated judgment (as well as the concurring contributions and rulings thereto) doth hereby appeal to the Supreme Court upon the grounds set out in paragraph 3 and will at the hearing of the appeal seek the reliefs set out in paragraph 4.”

The Presidential Election Petition Court had dismissed the petition filed by the PDP and Atiku challenging the election of President Bola Tinubu.

The tribunal also dismissed the petition of Peter Obi of the Labour Party, challenging Tinubu’s election, describing it as “unmeritorious”.