Atiku asks supreme court to upturn tribunal ruling on 10 grounds

Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and his party have filed a suit at the supreme court to challenge the ruling of the election petition tribunal.

The tribunal had dismissed Atiku’s petition challenging the outcome of the last presidential election.

Atiku and the PDP are asking the apex court to set aside the judgement of the tribunal.

The former vice-president filed the appeal, which is hinged on 10 grounds, on Monday.

According to the appeal, the tribunal faltered to hold that the 2nd respondent’s exhibits R1 to R26, P85, and P86 were properly admitted in evidence”.

“My firm view is that Section 76 of the Electoral Act is clearly inapplicable to the issues under consideration,” the suit read.

“The form referred to are the form to be used in the conduct of the election as FORM CF001 had been taken care of in Section 31 of the Electoral Act and the said FORM CF001 is tied to the steps laid down in the said Section 31 of the Electoral Act.

“More importantly, the law is firmly settled that a candidate is not required by the Constitution or the Electoral Act to attach his certificates to FORM CF001 before the candidate can be considered or adjudged to have the requisite educational qualifications to contest the election.

“There was/is no pleadings in the Petition to the effect that 2nd Respondents failure to attach his certificates to Form CF001 amounts to lack of educational qualification to contest the election.

“In other words the issue of failure to attach certificates which have been flogged throughout the length and breadth of the Petitioners Address (es) in Reply to 1st, 2nd and 3rd Respondents final written address is not the case of the Petitioner in the pleadings.

“No issue was joined on non-production of certificates or failure to attach them as an infraction of section 131, 137 and 138 of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended.

“All submission about the failure to produce certificates or attach same to CF001 is hereby discountenanced. Even if it can be said that the submissions made are in tandem with the Petitioners Pleadings on issues 1 and 2 the fact remains that none of the facts pleaded were proved or established as required by law.”

Atiku also claimed that President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressive Congress (APC) gave false information of a fundamental nature to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to aid his qualification.

Last Friday, he said he is seeking judicial remedy in his challenge of the president’s victory to ensure that the votes of Nigerians ”can count and are counted”.