President Bola Tinubu, the winner of the February 2023 presidential election and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has urged the Supreme Court to dismiss the appeal filed by Atiku Abubakar, the veteran presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in that election.
President Tinubu’s response was a formal reaction by his legal team to Atiku’s notice of appeal following the dismissal of the PDP candidate’s petition by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal on September 6 wherein he challenged the outcome of the February 25 presidential election.
The tribunal had ruled that Atiku, the former Vice President, failed to substantiate the claims in his petition and that his arguments lacked merit.
However, Atiku submitted a notice of appeal with 35 grounds to the Supreme Court on September 18, seeking to overturn the tribunal’s findings and conclusions.
In his appeal, Atiku contended that the tribunal had committed “grave errors and gross misrepresentation,” which had led to a miscarriage of justice.
But in swift response to Atiku’s appeal, President Tinubu maintained that the tribunal’s decision was just and accurate in confirming his presidential election.
He argued that the appellants(Atiku, through his lawyers), failed to substantiate their claims and had not provided any valid reason for the Supreme Court to overturn the lower court’s findings.
Tinubu further described Atiku’s appeal as “abusive in nature” and requested the Supreme Court to dismiss it entirely.
He stated, “Everything put together or summarized, this appeal further demonstrates the abusive nature to which the appellants have subjected court processes. The supreme court is urged to dismiss it.”
