Th argument that a presidential candidate must secure 25% of votes cast in the Federal Capital Territory has been voided by the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal.
The tribunal said it was not compulsory for President Bola Tinubu to have done so in the February 25 election because Abuja residents had no special rights compared to other Nigerians in other states.
The tribunal declared that the Federal Capital Territory does not hold a higher status than other states in the country.
Justice Haruna Tsammani, the lead judge of the five-man panel declared this during the tribunal’s sitting on Wednesday in Abuja.
According to him, 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.
