Atiku inaugurates legal team to challenge Tinubu’s victory

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has inaugurated his legal team to challenge the outcome of the 2023 presidential election that declared Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the president-elect.

Tinubu, a former Lagos State governor, polled 8,794,726 votes to defeat fellow contender Atiku, with a total of 6,984,520 votes, and the Labour Party’s Peter Obi, with a total of 6,101,533 votes, to come in third.

Atiku and Obi have since rejected the election result and announced their intent to challenge the conduct of the election in court, citing alleged rigging and manipulation by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to favour Tinubu and the APC.

Atiku, during the inauguration at his campaign headquarters on Tuesday, charged the legal team, filled with 19 Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), to establish the claim of illegality in the election and reclaim the mandate of the Nigerian people.

He also told the legal team to not only reclaim the mandate but also use the opportunity of the trial to strengthen constitutional democracy in the country.

Atiku added that they needed to work assiduously on reclaiming the mandate, not necessarily because of him and the PDP, but to strengthen democracy and the electoral process for future generations.

The legal team is headed by Chief J. K. Gadzama (SAN), and other members of the team include Chief Chris Uche (SAN), Paul Usoro (SAN), Tayo Jegede (SAN), Ken Mozia (SAN), Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), Mahmood Magaji (SAN), Joe Abraham (SAN), Chukwuma Umeh (SAN), Dr. Garba Tetengi (SAN), and Chief Emeka Etiaba (SAN).

Others are Chief Goddy Uche (SAN), Prof. Maxwell Gidado (SAN); the National Legal Adviser of the PDP, A. K. Ajibade (SAN), O. M. Atoyebi, (SAN), Nella Rabana (SAN), Paul Ogbole (SAN), Nuremi Jimoh (SAN), and Abdul Ibrahim (SAN).