Heavy Security As Presidential Tribunal Gives Verdict Today

Posted by Samson Kankan Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria Wednesday, September 6th, 2023

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – There is a heavy security presence around the premises of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT) ahead of the court’s verdict on Wednesday.

As early as 07:00 a.m., there were security operatives in and around the Appeal Court’s premises with their vehicles positioned at strategic points.

The area is calm with journalists and others putting the finishing touches to their preparations for the court proceedings which are expected to begin around 9:00 am.

The five-judge Abuja court has been deliberating for months on wide-ranging lawsuits from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party claiming fraud and irregularities.

In a tight race, former Lagos governor Tinubu won 37 percent of votes in the February 25 vote, beating the PDP’s Atiku Abubakar and Labour’s Peter Obi to secure the presidency of Africa’s most populous country.

Any decision on Wednesday appears unlikely to be the final stage of legal wrangling over the election, as lawyers say parties can appeal to the Supreme Court for a final verdict.

Despite repeated challenges to past elections, no court has overturned a presidential vote in Nigeria since its return to democracy from military rule in 1999.

Tinubu’s government has appeared confident, highlighting the judiciary’s integrity.

“As a result of his faith and confidence in the judiciary, he believes that the mandate which Nigerians freely gave to him during the elections will stand,” presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale told Channels TV this week.

“He is not worried, simply because he knows he won the election.”

Tinubu took office at the end of May and has quickly introduced a set of reforms the government says will help put Africa’s largest economy back on track.

He is currently in India to participate in the G20 summit where he is seeking foreign investment.