S’Court Reserves Judgment in Atiku, Obi’s Appeals against Tinubu

*Dismisses APM’s 

Alex Enumah in Abuja

The Supreme Court on Monday, reserved its judgment in two appeals filed against the election of President Bola Tinubu.

Justice John Okoro, who led six other justices of the seven-man panel, announced that judgment had been reserved, shortly after lawyers representing parties in the appeal, identified and adopted their various processes in the appeal.

“Judgment is reserved to a date that would be communicated to parties”, Justice Okoro held.

The appeals whose judgments were reserved are that of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and that of the Labour Party LP) and its presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi.

While Atiku represented by Chief Chris Uche and Obi’s lead lawyer, Dr Livy Uzoukwu SAN, both urged the court to allow their separate appeals and nullify Tinubu’s election, all the respondents urged the court to reject the appeal and uphold the judgment of the presidential election tribunal which affirmed the declaration of Tinubu as President.

Meanwhile, the apex court had dismissed the appeal filed by the Allied People’s Movement (APM), following it’s withdrawal by the party’s lead counsel, Mr Chukwuma Machukwu-Ume, SAN.

At the commencement of hearing in the appeal, Justice Okoro drew the attention of the senior lawyer, that what he was asking of the Supreme Court, was to “redo what we have done”, as the apex court had earlier resolved the issue some months back.

Justice Okoro, who noted that the apex court was not bound to hear every appeal brought before it, stated that the counsel ought to have withdrawn the petition at the tribunal haven been confronted with the apex court decision on the matter.

The APM in its petition had sought the disqualification of Tinubu on grounds of alleged unlawful and double nomination of his vice presidential candidate.

Details later.