Nigeria's Election Petition Tribunal Judgment Fuels Controversy and Outrage

Bola Tinubu was declared to have been legitimately elected president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by the presidential election petitions tribunal on Wednesday.

Three different petitions contesting the results of the presidential election were dismissed by the five-member panel tribunal.

A few of the complaints made by the petitioners against Tinubu included his failure to receive 25% of the votes cast in the federal capital territory (FCT), his forfeiture of $460,000 in the US, his allegedly forged academic records, and his disqualification as a result of Kashim Shettima's double nomination.

The petitioners also criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for failing to electronically transfer election results.


The Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), however, were found to have failed to present sufficient evidence to support the claims made in their respective petitions by the tribunal chaired by Haruna Tsamman.

As a result, the court determined that all three petitions were "devoid of merit".

According To The Senior Advocate Of Nigeria (SAN) Mr. Femi Falana;

"Election petitions since the colonial era have not attracted such level of blackmail and intimidation of the judiciary

- Some people believe that their candidate must be declared the winner, regardless of evidence and the law

- Intimidation and blackmail of judges is going on, and the judiciary must not be affected by it

- The election petition tribunals deliver judgments, and sometimes those who think they will win, lose

- After the 2023 election, the electoral law and judiciary system should be reviewed and improved

- African countries conclude presidential election petitions within 14 days, which Nigeria should consider

- Technology should be embraced in the electoral process to avoid chaos, such as electronic voting and central server for election results

- The appointment of electoral chiefs should be based on merit and impartiality, as recommended by the West Panel

- The Nigerian economy should reduce its dependence on the dollar through currency swaps

- Nigeria should engage in currency swaps with India to facilitate trade and reduce dependency on the dollar"

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike asserts that social media platforms are ineffective for winning election petitions.

In an interview with Channels Television on Thursday, Wike asserted that the opposition parties "don't have a case" to contest President Bola Tinubu's election victory on February 25.

The tribunal validated Tinubu's election victory on Wednesday.

The Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) all filed petitions, which the tribunal found to be "all devoid of merit."

The former Rivers governor applauded the presidential election petition tribunal for "painstakingly" resolving the issues made in the petitions in response to the tribunal's decision.

"I've always said that an election petition is different from a case in any other sense. It is a unique location. Not through propaganda, he claimed.

"Social media is not where you win it. It is a presentation of facts and evidence. I disagree with what you stated to your fans outside.

"I sat down for at least ten hours and watched how the justices painstakingly took each item one by one, from the preliminary objections to the motions, down to the objections on documents and exhibits, down to substantial issues," the author writes.

The FCT minister continued by stating that the February presidential election was "tough" and that Obi could not have won.

When asked to respond to the assertion that he has control over the judiciary, Wike responded sarcastically by joking that the judiciary was correct in 2006 when Obi reclaimed his position as governor of Anambra.

"When Peter Obi was fired as governor, did he not succeed in the supreme court? He paid bribe, right? He said, "Let him tell the world right now.

"When he was fired as governor, did he not ask the Supreme Court to reinstate his authority? The judiciary was correct, but now that this has not occurred (relating to the tribunal's ruling), the judiciary is incorrect.

The former governor of Rivers claimed that despite losing numerous legal battles, he did not criticize the judicial system.