The Presidential Election Petition Court, Abuja, on Monday, dismissed a petition filed by the Action Alliance, AA, challenging the victory of the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in the 25 February 2023 presidential election.
A five-member court panel led by Justices Haruna Simon Tsammani, with Stephen Adah, Bolaji Yusuf, Moses Ugo and Abba Mohammed as members, dismissed the petition after the party’s lawyer, Oba Maduabuchi, SAN, announced its withdrawal.
Justice Tsammani held that the dismissal was in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The court earlier held its inaugural sitting during which it assured all litigants that it would do justice to all parties in the case pending before it.
There was a mild drama at the tribunal when Oba Maduabuchi, first announced appearance for the AA party only for another lawyer, Malachi Umuebe, to also do the same.
Mr Maduabuchi insisted that he was the party’s lawyer.
The court discountenanced Mr Umuebe since he was not the one who filed the petition before the court. Shortly after the court recognised Mr Maduabuchi, the lawyer announced the withdrawal of the case.
The respondents’ lawyers – Wole Olanipekun, SAN, representing Mr Tinubu, and Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN, representing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said they had no objection against the application for the withdrawal of the petition.
The court then dismissed the petition.
It would be recalled that the Action Alliance has urged the court to nullify the polls owing to alleged refusal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to upload the name of its actual presidential candidate – Solomon-David Okanigbuan – to its portal for the February poll.
