The Supreme Court of Nigeria will deliver its verdict on Thursday on the petitions filed by the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, challenging the outcome of the 2023 presidential election.
The two contenders are seeking to overturn the decision of the presidential election tribunal that upheld the victory of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to the Supreme Court’s Director of Information, Dr. Festus Akande, who spoke to our correspondent on Wednesday, the apex court has fixed Thursday for the judgment on the appeals brought by Atiku and Obi.
The judgment will determine whether Tinubu will remain in office as the president of Nigeria or be replaced by either Atiku or Obi.
The 2023 presidential election was marred by allegations of irregularities, violence, and fraud. Tinubu was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with 36.61% of the vote, followed by Atiku with 29.07% and Obi with 25.40%.
However, Atiku and Obi rejected the results and filed petitions at the tribunal, alleging that Tinubu was not duly elected and that the election was not conducted in accordance with the Electoral Act. They also claimed that there were discrepancies between the results announced by INEC and those uploaded on its result viewing portal.
The tribunal dismissed their petitions for lack of merit and affirmed Tinubu’s election. Dissatisfied with the tribunal’s ruling, Atiku and Obi appealed to the Supreme Court, hoping to get a favourable judgment that will annul Tinubu’s election and declare them as the rightful winners or order a fresh election.
The Supreme Court has the final say on the matter and its judgment will be binding on all parties. The court is expected to deliver its verdict on Thursday after hearing arguments from both sides.
Nigerians are eagerly awaiting the outcome of the case, which will have a significant impact on the political landscape of Africa’s largest democracy.