Nigerians and international observers are eagerly awaiting the verdict of the Presidential Election Petitions Court regarding the fiercely contested presidential election that took place on February 25, 2023. The nation's political capital, Abuja, will be the stage for this momentous event, which will be broadcast live, attracting viewers from all corners of Nigeria.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reported that the total valid votes cast in the election exceeded 24 million. Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) emerged as the winner with 8,794,726 votes, followed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with 6,984,520 votes. Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) secured 6,101,533 votes. The remaining candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), won his home state, Kano, with 1,496,687 votes.
Despite INEC's declaration of Tinubu as the winner on March 1, 2023, Atiku, Obi, and their supporters rejected the results, citing anomalies and the failure of INEC's Results Viewing Portal to upload results electronically as required by the Electoral Act 2022.
Subsequently, Atiku's PDP, Obi's LP, and three other political parties filed petitions at the Presidential Election Petitions Court seeking the annulment of Tinubu's victory. However, two of the parties later withdrew their petitions.
The petitioners argued that Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima, were ineligible to contest the election. They alleged that Tinubu failed to secure 25 percent of votes cast in the Federal Capital Territory, had a past indictment for drug trafficking in the United States, and submitted forged academic certificates to INEC, among other claims.
Tinubu's legal team countered these allegations, asserting that he won the election fairly, and INEC was correct in declaring him President-Elect.
After months of legal proceedings and evidence presentation, the Presidential Election Petitions Court is set to deliver its judgment today. The Nigeria Police Force has assured citizens of security, and Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), emphasized the opportunity for appeal at the Supreme Court for any dissatisfied party.
While Nigerians await this significant verdict, presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale reiterated Tinubu's confidence in his victory and emphasized the independence of the judiciary in rendering its decision. President Tinubu himself is presently attending the G-20 Leaders' Summit in India and remains unperturbed by the court's judgment