Atiku Engages 19 SANs to Prosecute Election Petition, Reclaim Mandate

•Gadzama heads team

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar has inaugurated a legal team of 19 Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to challenge the outcome of the presidential election held on February 25, 2023 and reclaim what he claimed to be his mandate

The legal team headed by J.K. Gadzama, is to prosecute the election petition case for the former vice president.

Other members of the legal team include Chief Chris Uche, Mr. Paul Usoro, Tayo Jegede, Ken Mozia, Chief Mike Ozekhome, Mahmood Magaji, Joe Abraham, Mr. Chukwuma Umeh, Dr. Garba Tetengi and Chief Emeka Etiaba.

Others are Chief Goddy Uche, Prof. Maxwell Gidado, the National Legal Adviser of the PDP, A. K. Ajibade, Mr. O. M. Atoyebi, Mrs. Nella Rabana, Paul Ogbole, Nuremi Jimoh and Abdul Ibrahim.

The PDP presidential candidate, while inaugurating the legal team at his campaign headquarters in Abuja, charged members to establish the claim of illegality in the presidential election and reclaim the mandate of the Nigerian people.

Atiku told the team that apart from reclaiming the mandate from those whom he said undertook, “the electoral heist that was not a reflection of the will of Nigerians,” the legal team should also use the opportunity of the trial to strengthen constitutional democracy in the country.

Addressing the team headed by Gadzama, Atiku said it was imperative that they work assiduously in reclaiming the mandate not necessarily because of him and the PDP, “but to strengthen democracy and the electoral process and for generations unborn.”

The leaders of the PDP on Monday, stormed INEC’s headquarters to protest against the outcome of the presidential election won by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The electoral body had declared Bola Tinubu of APC as the winner of the election having polled a total votes of  8,794,726 to defeat his closest rival and the presidential candidate of PDP, Atiku Abubakar, who scored 6,984,520 votes, while Peter Obi of Labour Party (LP) polled 6,101,533 votes.