The court considered the arguments put forth by the counsels of both parties.
The Supreme Court of Nigeria has reserved judgment in the appeal brought forward by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging the ruling of the Presidential Election Petition Court.
This ruling had previously confirmed the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the highly contested presidential election.
The announcement was made on Monday, October 23, 2023, by a distinguished seven-member panel of the court, presided over by Justice Inyang Okoro. The decision followed the final submissions made by the legal representatives of all parties after they had adopted their briefs of argument.
Additionally, the apex court addressed the appeal filed by the Labour Party (LP), choosing to dismiss it. Conversely, the appeal by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) met a similar fate, as it was promptly dismissed by the court.
During the proceedings, the court considered the arguments put forth by the counsels of both parties, including the motion filed by Atiku Abubakar seeking to provide fresh evidence concerning alleged forged documents.
Chris Uche, the counsel representing Atiku Abubakar, urged the court to grant the motion, asserting the need to allow their appeal, grant their prayers, and ultimately disqualify President Tinubu from the race.
Contrarily, counsels to the respondents, including Abubakar Mahmoud for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Wole Olanipekun for President Tinubu, and Akin Olujinmi for the All Progressives Congress (APC), vehemently argued against the motion and appeal, asserting their lack of merit.
Upon reconvening, the court turned its attention to the appeal lodged by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM). Counsel for the APM, Machukwu Umeh, opted to withdraw the appeal, citing the absence of specific prayers for determination. The respondents did not object to this withdrawal, leading to the swift dismissal of the appeal by the apex court.
