Tension in presidency: Supreme court deliberates Atiku, Obi, APM's claim on Tinubu's win

The battle persists as the Supreme Court prepares to resume its proceedings regarding the election. A seven-member panel of the Supreme Court is scheduled to convene today to consider the appeals filed by Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi.

These appeals challenge the verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Court, which affirmed President Bola Tinubu’s election.

The members of the panel have not been disclosed as of now, but they will preside over the appeals filed by Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi of the Labour Party, and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM). These appeals contest the election victory of Mr. Tinubu from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Previously, the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja, under the leadership of Haruna Tsammani, ruled that Atiku and Mr. Obi failed to substantiate their individual claims of widespread electoral malpractices during the February 25th presidential election conducted by Nigeria’s electoral commission, INEC. Additionally, a petition by the APM was dismissed due to its perceived lack of merit.

Election proceedings continue

In response, Atiku, Mr. Obi, and the APM each separately filed appeals to challenge the court’s decision. Atiku and Obi, in particular, took issue with the tribunal’s verdict and subsequently submitted appeals to the Supreme Court.

Of notable interest, the PDP candidate, Atiku, has also requested permission to present a copy of President Tinubu’s academic records from the Chicago State University, CSU, USA.

According to Atiku, these records demonstrate that Tinubu submitted a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Furthermore, the former vice president seeks to obtain documents from a Washington, D.C. court related to President Tinubu’s $460,000 forfeiture case, with the aim of having the FBI release these documents.

It’s worth mentioning that President Tinubu previously urged the Supreme Court to disregard the Chicago State University academic records attached by Atiku Abubakar. He argued that this development was atypical in the country’s judicial proceedings, asserting that it was not part of the record or judgment of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal.

President Tinubu also claimed that Atiku had a habit of filing petitions first and then searching for evidence, suggesting that Atiku demonstrated this pattern when appealing the tribunal’s judgment. Tinubu’s legal team, led by Wole Olanipekun, SAN, refuted the allegations regarding discrepancies in his credentials, contending that these claims were fabricated by the PDP candidate.

There is some uncertainty surrounding whether the Supreme Court will admit the fresh evidence presented by Atiku.

Nonetheless, legal expert Mathew Abakpa in Rivers State suggested that it is legally possible for the Supreme Court to accept this fresh evidence. He believes it will be admitted, but the ultimate decision on how the court handles this new evidence remains to be seen.