Dipo Olowookere
By Dipo Olowookere
The election of President Muhammadu Buhari at the February 16, 2019 presidential election has been upheld by the tribunal constituted to hear disputes from the exercise.
Delivery the judgement on Wednesday in Abuja, the five-judge of the Presidential Elections Petitions Tribunal unanimously agreed that Mr Buhari was duly elected to become President of Nigeria at the poll earlier this year.
The judges dismissed the prayers of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the election, Mr Atiku Abubakar, which sought to upturn the victory at the tribunal.
The tribunal said it dismissed the petitions of the PDP and its flagbearer because they could not prove beyond reasonable doubts why Mr Buhari should be removed from office.
“I have come to the conclusion that the petitioners haven’t proved any of the grounds,” Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Mohammed Garba, said in his leading judgment, which was affirmed by others.
“The petition is hereby dismissed,” he thereafter declared in the over 6-hour ruling, which came to close some minutes past 6pm.
If the losing part feels unsatisfied with the tribunal’s judgment, it can approach the Supreme Court to reverse the ruling.
