By Paul Ejime
Nigeria’s Supreme Court on Thursday in Abuja dismissed all the petitions by opposition parties challenging the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the controversial February 25 election.
The petitions filed by former President Abubakar Atiku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), accused Tinubu of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) of forging the education documents he submitted to the electoral commission, to stand for the elections.
Citing provisions of the Constitution and previous cases as precedent, the seven-Justice apex court in a unanimous and televised judgement, said that it lacked jurisdiction to entertain the petitions and that the petitioners lacked the authority to produce new evidence or amend petitions filed at the lower court.
Other petitions alleging fraud and/or irregularities in the election were also dismissed for lack of merit.
The Supreme Court’s verdict is final on election matters in Nigeria, the Elections Petition Appeal Tribunal, having dismissed the same and similar petitions filed by the opposition.
The lead judgement of the Supreme Court, read by Justice John Okoro was seconded by six of his colleagues, who described the petitions as frivolous and vexatious.
Tinubu, a former governor, and Senator might have prevailed in the courts of law, analysts say his presidency could be defined in the court of public opinion by the burden of allegations of forgery, perjury, questionable educational qualifications, identity theft and drug offences.
