APC Constitutes 13-man Legal Team to Defend Presidential Election Petition

•As coalition urges PDP leaders not to set Nigeria ablaze with unguarded statements

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has constituted a 13-man legal team to defend the mandate of the president-elect, Bola Tinubu.

The National Legal Adviser of the party, Ahmad El-Marzuq in a statement issued yesterday, said the team is made up of legal luminaries with vast experience in election petition matters, constitutional law, and litigation.

The party noted that legal team consisting of 12 Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) and the National Legal Adviser of the party would be led by Lateef Fagbemi, a renowned lawyer who had successfully handled various high-profile election matters and other landmark cases.

Other members are: Ahmad El-marzuq, Sam Ologunorisa, Rotimi Oguneso, Olabisi Soyebo, Gboyega Oyewole, Muritala Abdulrasheed, Aliyu Saiki, Tajudeen Oladoja, Pius Akubo, Oluseye Opasanya, Suraju Saida and Kazeem Adeniji.

It stated: “We are confident that the legal team possesses requisite expertise and experience to ensure a successful outcome for the APC in the Presidential Election Petition matters.

“We urge members of the Party to support the team in its effort to defend the will and mandate of the people.”

The ruling party, however, called on all parties involved to conduct themselves with utmost professionalism and respect for the rule of law throughout the legal process.

Meanwhile, the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations for Tinubu/Shettima 2023 has called on the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) not to set the country ablaze through ungraded statements.

The convener, Dr. Lilian Ogbole, made the call while addressing a press conference in Abuja, yesterday.

She said there was nowhere in the world where elections are devoid of some hitches, saying Nigeria wasn’t an exception.

Ogbole said: “But be that as it may, you will all agree with us that the just concluded election has been the most transparent since independence in 1960. And any man or woman who says the election was not credible was just being unfair and not truthful.

“This is our country. If Nigeria goes bad, we will go bad. Nigeria is our hope. We must do everything within our powers to ensure that we keep that home. There is no election in the world where everybody emerged winners. What makes you a personality is your ability to take your losses in good faith, it is your ability to be a good loser.”

Ogbole said the fact that certain individuals or elements or contestants did not win election does not mean that Nigeria should come to a halt.

She added: “Nigeria was there before they came and Nigeria will continue after them. If we are patriots, if we believe in the Nigerian project, and of course if we are sure that what we are doing by contesting is to build a better Nigeria for all and sundry, we will not want to destroy the country that we want to build.”

The coalition, therefore, condemned the action of some elder statesmen and leaders of the opposition party taking to the streets and making lose an unguarded statements.

It stated: “You see them taking to the streets, if you think the election was not free and fair, the right thing to do is to seek for a redress in a court of law. A man who is meant to be a nationalist, a man who is meant to be a patriot, a man who wants to be a leader should not be making loose statements here and there.”

They commended Nigerians for rejecting calls to disintegrate the country, call for anarchy and call to destroy the country.