The Presidential Election Petition Court, (PEPC) has affirmed the election of President Bola Tinubu and dismissed the petitions of Mr Peter Obi of Labour Party and his Party and Alhaji Abubakar Atiku and the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP).
Delivering the lead judgment, Chairman of the five-member panel of justices, Justice Haruna Tsammani said that the petitioner’s had failed to prove their allegations beyond reasonable doubts.
Justice Tsammani held that the petitions, lacking in merit, were consequently dismissed.
He also ruled that all parties would bear their respective costs
The tribunal faulted the allegations advanced by the Labour Party, the Peoples Democratic Party and the Allied Peoples Movement.
The tribunal, among other declarations, said it was not compulsory for Tinubu to score 25% of votes cast in Abuja, saying the Federal Capital Authority residents did not enjoy any special rights over other Nigerians elsewhere.
According to the tribunal, Section 134 (1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) stipulates that a presidential candidate must attain or score a majority of votes cast in a presidential election, where two or more candidates are involved, and at least 25% in two-thirds of the 36 States and FCT to meet the constitutional requirement to be declared as duly elected as President of Nigeria.
It also said it was not compulsory for the Independent Electoral Commission to transmit results electronically.
Also, the tribunal held that the case of forfeiture involving Tinubu in the United States of America was not conviction, while adding that even if it was, it was not within the last 10 years.
This is as it dismissed the APM’s call for the disqualification of Tinubu and the Vice President, Kashim Shettima,
On the US matter, the five-man panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani ruled that no record of criminal arrest or conviction was established against Tinubu by the petitioners
He said, “The petitioners failed to show evidence that the president was detained or convicted for any particular offence as alleged by the petitioners.”
The justice clarified that the fine imposed on Tinubu by a United States court was over a civil forfeiture proceeding.
This is even as the court held that both Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettma were qualified to have contested the last presidential election.
Tsammani, while delivering judgment on the petition by Obi and LP, held that the fine imposed by the US court did not qualify as a fine for fraud or dishonesty provided in Section 137(1)(d) of the Constitution.
