Supreme Court Dismisses Atiku and Obi's Appeals, Affirms Tinubu's Election

In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court has dismissed the appeals filed by the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and the Labour Party, Peter Obi, challenging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's election victory. The court's judgment, delivered on October 24, 2023, conclusively concludes Atiku's extensive legal battle.

Justice Inyang Okoro, in the lead judgment, found no merit in Atiku's petition and stated that there was no substantial evidence of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) non-compliance with the Electoral Act in the conduct of the election. The court held that failure to electronically transmit results to INEC's portal did not warrant nullifying the election, though it acknowledged that this may erode the public's confidence in the electoral process.

The Supreme Court emphasized that Atiku and PDP did not prove any miscarriage of justice and that the dismissal of their petition by the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) was not misplaced. Additionally, the court dismissed Obi's petition on the double nomination of Vice-President Kashim Shettima, stating that the matter had already been settled.

Tinubu was declared the winner of the presidential contest in March 2023 with a total of 8,794,726 votes. Atiku came second with 6,984,520 votes, and Peter Obi came third with 6,101,533 votes.

In summary, the Supreme Court's decision affirms President Tinubu's election victory and marks a significant conclusion to the legal challenges posed by Atiku and Obi.