Atiku’s appeal against Tinubu frivolous, vexatious — Supreme Court
The Peoples Democratic Party’s Abubakar Atiku lost his appeal against President Bola Tinubu’s election victory in the February 2023 poll, as the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday.
Justice Ibrahim Saulawa, who contributed to the unanimous decision, called Atiku’s petition “frivolous and vexatious and deserves to be dismissed.”
He referred to the initial Appeal Court decision that confirmed Tinubu’s election, saying, “I find no merit in the appeal; I affirm the decision of the lower court.”
Before Saulawa made his contribution, the petition had been rejected by Justice Iyang Okoro on the grounds that it was without merit.
Justices Uwani Aji, Mohammed Garba, Adamu Jauro, Abubakar Tijjani, and Emmanuel Agim are the other justices on the panel.
Likewise, Atiku’s plea to present fresh evidence to the Supreme Court was denied by the Court.
On this, Justice Agim said, “I agree with the reasoning if the fresh evidence is not authentic as stated by the authority before it was presented. It was not sealed or had a signature. It cannot be used in Nigeria without authentication.”
In their appeal, Atiku’s legal team raised the contentious issue of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) being a must-win for a presidential candidate. Tinubu lost the FCT but was declared to have won the majority votes cumulatively.
Responding, Agim explained, “The FCT violates the fundamental principle of the interpretation of the Constitution, and it must be interpreted in a way that provides equality.”
