Nigeria’s Presidential Election Petition Tribunal – investigating the challenges brought against the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress as the winner of February’s presidential election – has been postponed to Wednesday, May 17.
Already, many Nigerians are calling the tribunal a waste of time and money. They don’t believe its findings will change the outcome and say that the country’s people should just accept Tinubu as the next president of the country.
February’s presidential elections were marred by violence at the polls and by problems with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not being able to upload election results from polling units in real-time.
Opposition candidates and members of the electorate claimed the outcome was null and void and rigged.
Members of the Presidential Election Petition Court sitting at the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal are being chaired by Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani. The other justices are Stephen Adah, Bolaji-Yusuf, Moses Ugo and Abbah Mohammed.
Proceedings of the tribunal began on Monday, May 8.
News agency Reuters said Tsammani had appealed to lawyers “to avoid making sensational comments” during the arguments.
It said opposition candidates Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party were arguing for the vote to be annulled because of what they described as several breaches of the electoral law and other irregularities.
The two said the electoral agency broke its own rules by failing to upload polling station results on electronic machines soon after voting, opening the result to manipulation.
Tinubu said the petitions lacked merit and should be dismissed, according to Reuters.
“On Monday, the five judges of the Presidential Election Petition Court set the rules for the hearing but did not get into substantive arguments.
“Their ruling is not expected for several weeks – the court has 180 days from the date the petitions were filed in March to come to a decision.”
Reuters said there had been numerous legal challenges to the outcome of previous Nigerian presidential elections but none had succeeded.
February’s election attracted one of the lowest voter turnouts since military rule ended in 1999.
The inauguration of the new government is set to commence on May 29, with Tinubu as Nigeria’s new president.
Umar Sanda, a legal practitioner in Maiduguri, said Nigerians had little hope in the tribunal.
“The constitution allows for political parties to appeal or seek judgments on election results. It is up to the court judges to decide. The judges have the right to arrange re-elections when there is the need and they can declare a winner which must be accepted legally by the public. If the judges are satisfied with the election results, the ruling stands.
“Some people might find it hard to accept the judgment but the court acts according to the national constitution.”
Sanda said the tribunal was already creating disunity and concern among the public.
“But our priority is peace and I hope the public will be patient and disregard misleading information.”
Fatima Ali, a resident of Maiduguri, said: “I don’t have confidence in the tribunal. I suggest it be cancelled and the aspirants in the opposition parties should just move on and accept Tinubu as the announced winner.”
Ibrahim Yunusa said: “I don’t think the tribunal will change anything from the result announced by the Independent Electoral Commission because very soon the leadership will be handed over to the new president.”
AISHA SD JAMAL
