2023 Presidential Election: Atiku files suit in Supreme Court challenging Tribunal’s judgment

The Presidential candidate of the PDP,  Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has approached the Supreme Court to nullify the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Court, which, on September 6, upheld the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 presidential election.

Atiku in the Notice of Appeal predicated on 35 grounds, insisted that the tribunal, in the judgment delivered by Justice Haruna Tsammani, committed grave error and miscarriage of justice in its findings and conclusion in the petition challenging the declaration of Tinubu as President by INEC.

The Notice of Appeal filed by Atiku’s lead counsel, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, is praying the apex court to set aside the whole findings and conclusions of the tribunal on the grounds that they did not represent the true picture of the grounds of his petition.

The former Vice President maintained that the tribunal erred in law when it failed to nullify the presidential election held on Feb.  25.

He wants the election nullified on the grounds of non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022, when by evidence before the tribunal, INEC conducted the election based on grave and gross misrepresentation contrary to the principles of the Electoral Act 2022, based on the “doctrine of legitimate expectation”.

Atiku alleged that the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) erred in law by not taking into cognisance the Doctrine of Legitimate Expectation when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed to conduct the election in accordance with its own guidelines and the Electoral Act 2022.