Nigerian Opposition leader has finally filed a petition seeking to nullify the 2023 presidential results.
Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria’s main opposition leader who came second in last month’s election, has filed a formal lawsuit in court in an attempt to overturn the victory of the ruling party.
Abubakar’s case, filed in the Abuja appeals court, follows one filed by Labour Party candidate Peter Obi, who came third, in what is expected to be a lengthy legal battle over the February 25 election.
Former Lagos governor and governing All Progressives Congress (APC) party strongman Bola Tinubu won the election with around 37% of the vote, although opposition parties claim delays in electronic results uploading enabled massive ballot rigging.
Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says in his appeal that the election was unlawful because the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed to comply with election rules by failing to upload the results.
The petition alleges, among other things, that votes were manipulated, and that Tinubu failed to meet the constitutional criteria for being declared the winner.
Nigerian constitution gives the court 180 days to decide on election matters before plaintiffs can appeal to the Supreme Court.
