The complaints over the presidential election ended on Wednesday, October 30, with the Supreme Court throwing out the appeal of Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), against the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Buhari, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
At the hearing on Wednesday, October 30, a seven-man panel led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Tanko Mohammed, ruled that the appeal lacked merit.
“The Appeal was hereby dismissed,” he said adding that the Supreme Court had been reviewing the case for the past two weeks.
The panel said it would give details concerning why the appeal was dismissed on a later date.
Before its final judgement, the Supreme Court had stood down the hearing of the appeal to allow Atiku’s counsel, Levy Uzokwu (SAN), conclude on the procedure of the hearing.
We earlier reported how the Supreme Court was accused by the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) which claimed there was a plot to manipulate the selection of justices for the presidential election appeal panel.
In reaction, the court warned the CUPP and other organisations against carrying what it called false information.
The court said: “We wish to state clearly that CUPP is not and can never constitute itself into an agency of the Nigerian judiciary or assume the role of an alternate Supreme Court of Nigeria.
“Let it be known that the Supreme Court is not an assemblage of individuals with no defined purpose, vision and modus operandi. Our operations are strictly guided by the constitution and extant laws.”
Peter Obi, running mate to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has reacted to the ruling of the Supreme Court on the appeal of his principal against the victory of Muhammadu Buhari.
Obi spoke on Wednesday, October 30, just minutes after the Supreme Court threw out the appeal by Atiku.
“My reaction is first, to most sincerely thank all Nigerians who have followed the election and voted. I again thank them for this court process,” he said.
The Supreme Court, after the ruling by a seven-man panel, announced that a later date would be given to explain its decision to throw out the appeal.
Obi, however, noted: “Our reason for coming to court is because we believe that the election…the result was not the result of lawful votes cast. But the process has come to the end. I thank all those who were involved – the lawyers, the judges, all of you, the Fourth Estate.
“This election and the judgement are not about President Buhari or His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. It is about the future of our country and what we are going to bequeath on our children. It is about our country.”