Tribunal: 4 parties want Buhari’s victory voided


The Court of Appeal Election Petitions Tribunal has disclosed that no fewer than four political parties have challenged the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate President Muhammadu Buhari in the February 16 presidential election.

The court, which said the number of petitions challenging various results of the 2019 general elections has risen to 766, listed the four to include the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

The other petition was filed by the Hope Democratic Party and its National Chairman and presidential candidate, Ambrose Owuru, on March 7, while the Peoples Democratic Movement led by Aminchi Habu also challenged Buhari’s victory in a petition it filed on March 19.

The fourth petition was filed by Geff Ojinika and the Coalition for Change, who both contended that “the election was vitiated by substantial non-compliance with mandatory statutory provisions which irregularity substantially affected the election such that the first respondent (Mr Buhari) was not entitled to be returned as the winner of the presidential election.”

These were contained in a statement issued by the Court of Appeal Election Petitions Tribunal Deputy Chief Registrar, Election Petitions Tribunal, Rabi Abdulazeez.

The statement indicated that the number of petitions filed by politicians and their parties in respect of the 2019 general elections had risen to 766 as of April 16.

According to the deputy registrar 77 election petitions tribunals had been set up by the President of the Court of Appeal, Zainab Bulkachuwa, to hear the matters.

It said while the number of presidential election petitions remained four, same as it was on April 4, the number of House of Representatives’ election disputes also remained 101. That of the senatorial election petition increased by two – from 205 to 207.

The breakdown of the petitions filed so far as released by the Court of Appeal on Tuesday is as follows: House of Representatives election, 101; Senate, 207; governorship, 54; state Houses of Assembly, 402; and presidential, four.

The election petitions tribunals were set up to look into complaints that may have arisen following the February 19, March 9 presidential/national assembly and the governorship and states assembly elections and the supplementary polls on March 23.

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