Supreme Court dismisses Atiku’s appeal

Nigeria’s Supreme Court Wednesday dismissed Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar’s appeal for lacking merit.

“We have examined all the briefs and the exhibits for over two weeks and we agree that there is no merit in this appeal,” Chief Justice, Tanko Muhammad said at the judgement.

“The appeal is dismissed,” he concluded, in a unanimous decision with six court justices.

Abubakar challenged the presidential election tribunal judgment which affirmed the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari’s victory at the February 2019 poll.

The tribunal in its judgment delivered by its chairman Justice Mohammed Garba dismissed Abubakar’s petition in its “entirety.”

Abubakar approached the Supreme Court shortly after the September 11 tribunal’s ruling with 66 reasons why the Supreme Court should upturn the tribunal’s five-man panel decision.

The Supreme Court, however, convened a seven-man panel to hear PDP and Abubakar’s appeal.

On the panel were the Chief Justice of Nigeria Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, Justice Bode Rhodes -Vivour, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, Justice John Iyang Okoro, Justice Musa Datijo Muhammad, Justice Ejembi Eko and Justice Uwani Abaji.

But after the panel apportioned a maximum of 15 minutes to the counsel to argue his appeal, admonished him to go directly into the main appeal since such matters also formed part of the main appeal.

The counsel stood his ground, causing the court to adjourn for 15 minutes to enable the appellants’ defence team to decide on what to do with their time.

On resumption of the hearing, the seven-man panel unanimously dismissed the Abubakar’s appeal because it lacked “merit.”