President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Loses in Court

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Court Loss: Allied People’s Movement Petition Continues

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) faced a setback in their attempt to halt the Allied People’s Movement (APM) petition challenging Tinubu’s qualification for the February 25, 2023, presidential election. On Monday, June 19, 2023, the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) rejected their request.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, represented by Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN as lead counsel, sought to use a Supreme Court judgment from May 26, 2023, to dismiss the APM’s petition. However, the request was denied.

Tinubu’s argument was based on the belief that the Supreme Court had already addressed the key issue raised in the APM’s petition in a separate case filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He wanted the court to apply the same judgment to halt the APM’s petition.

Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani, the Presiding Justice of the Court, disagreed with Tinubu’s argument, emphasizing the importance of a fair hearing. He instructed Tinubu to present his objections during the final address stage of the court’s proceedings.

The APC, represented by counsel Charles Edosomwen SAN, also raised objections to the petition on similar grounds, but their objections were rejected by PEPC for the same reason.

Earlier, the APM, represented by lawyer Gideon Ijiagbonya, informed the court about the Supreme Court judgment being used to dismiss their petition. After reviewing the judgment, Ijiagbonya and his legal team concluded that their petition had merit and requested its hearing.

However, Ijiagbonya requested an adjournment until June 26 to obtain a crucial document from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to support their case. The court denied the week-long adjournment and scheduled the hearing for Wednesday, June 21.

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