The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the ruling of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), which upheld Bola Tinubu as the winner of the presidential election held on February 25th.
The PDP said in a statement that it had “unequivocally rejected” the judgment, which it said was “against reason, against the facts and evidence presented in court; against the relevant Electoral Laws, Guidelines and Regulations as well as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).” The party said it would carefully assess the verdict and determine whether to pursue the case further to the Supreme Court.
The PEPC panel, headed by Haruna Tsammani, issued a unanimous decision on Wednesday, rejecting the petitions that contested Mr. Tinubu’s win in the recent presidential election. The presidential candidates of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, and the Labour Party’s Peter Obi, along with the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), had submitted petitions to the tribunal challenging Mr. Tinubu’s victory under the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The court ruled that they failed to substantiate their individual petitions, leading to their dismissal. The PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said the party was “dissatisfied” with the judgment and would “explore all legal options available to us to ensure that justice is served in this matter.”
He said the party was “confident” that the Supreme Court would “uphold the rule of law and invalidate the shambolic judgment of the PEPC.” The PDP’s rejection of the PEPC ruling is the latest development in a long-running legal battle over the outcome of the presidential election. The party has previously challenged the results of the election in the courts, but its efforts have so far been unsuccessful.
It remains to be seen whether the PDP will be able to convince the Supreme Court to overturn the PEPC ruling. However, the party’s decision to reject the judgment suggests that it is determined to continue its legal fight.
Tarifree (
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