The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asserted that Alhaji Abubakar Atiku failed to present credible evidence to support his claim that the presidential election was rigged in favor of President Bola Tinubu. According to the APC, Mr. Peter Obi and the Labour Party’s evidence against President Tinubu was insubstantial and lacked credibility.
According to Daily Trust, Both Atiku, Obi, and their respective parties filed a petition with the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), challenging Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 presidential election. In its final argument submitted to the court by its team of lawyers led by Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, the APC argued that Atiku and the PDP were not entitled to the reliefs they sought in their petition.
The APC maintained that the petitioners simply dumped documents on the court without providing sufficient evidence to support their allegations.The party further contended that the petitioners failed to establish a connection between the documents and the specific allegations made against Tinubu’s victory.The APC urged the court to hold that the documents had no probative value and emphasized that it was not the duty of the judge to analyze the dumped documents privately.
Furthermore, the party argued that the petitioners’ claims of election rigging were not linked to specific polling units in the local government areas of the 24 states challenged in the petition.The APC stated that the petitioners made broad allegations, some of which were of a criminal nature, and these allegations should have been proven with reliable and credible evidence.
The party asserted that most of the exhibits presented by Atiku were irrelevant to the petition, as they did not support any relevant facts or pleadings. Apart from the non-qualification allegation against the respondent, the APC argued that all other allegations in the petition should have been based on specific polling unit evidence or proved beyond a reasonable doubt.
The party concluded that the case presented by the petitioners should be dismissed, and the election of Tinubu should be upheld. Regarding the educational qualification of the president, the APC argued that the documents presented in court only confirmed his attendance at Chicago State University, where he graduated with honors.
The party also contended that the petitioners failed to provide the genuine certificate from which the alleged forged certificate was made. Addressing the alleged forfeiture of $460,000 due to Tinubu’s involvement in a drug-related case, the APC claimed that there was no evidence of charges, convictions, or fines against him in any criminal case.
The party maintained that there were no criminal proceedings or guilty verdicts that would justify his disqualification.
Regarding the allegation of dual citizenship, the APC argued that possessing a Guinean passport was not sufficient grounds to disqualify Tinubu or nullify his election.
The party asserted that Tinubu was a Nigerian citizen by birth and that acquiring dual citizenship did not strip him of his Nigerian citizenship or his right to vote or be voted for in Nigeria.
Moreover, the APC highlighted that Tinubu’s sole witness testified to his Nigerian citizenship.
The party dismissed the petitioners’ claim that Tinubu did not secure 25% of the votes cast in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) during the presidential election, stating that the FCT does not possess a special status and that there is equality before the ballot.
On July 4, the court concluded the hearing of Atiku’s petition as the respondents closed their defense.
Atiku and the PDP, who came second in the election, approached the PEPC, seeking to nullify Tinubu’s election and revoke his certificate of return.
During the proceedings, Atiku and the PDP called 27 witnesses, while Obi called 13 out of the planned 50 witnesses and submitted numerous documents, including over 18,000 blurred result sheets on which INEC based its declaration of Tinubu’s victory.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the first respondent in the petition, called one witness, and President Tinubu called only one witness.
The APC stated that it saw no reason to call any witness, as there was no point in pursuing a futile endeavor.
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