Politics
PEPT: Atiku Concludes Suit Against Tinubu, Court Sets Date For Defense
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, a candidate representing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), concluded his presentation before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) in Abuja on Friday.
Abubakar is challenging the validity of President Bola Tinubu’s election and seeking its nullification.
Atiku Abubakar, after presenting a total of 27 witnesses and submitting various documentary exhibits as evidence during the court proceedings, made the decision to conclude his case.
He stated that the reason for this decision was that he had utilized all the allotted time for presenting his arguments against Tinubu.
“My lords, at this point in time, may we humbly inform your lordships that this will be our last witness,” Atiku’s lead counsel, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, told the court.
Continuing, Uche, SAN, said: “Having exhausted the days allocated to us, pursuant to the pre-hearing report and Paragraph 46(5) of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act, 2022, we most humbly apply the formally close the case for the petitioners.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), represented by its lawyer Mr. Kemi Pinhero, SAN, informed the court that the parties involved had mutually agreed to postpone the commencement of the defense by the respondents until after the upcoming Sallah celebration.
Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, the head of President Tinubu’s legal team, confirmed the agreement and requested the court’s permission for the respondents, starting with INEC, to begin their defense against Atiku’s petition on July 3.
Olanipekun said “My lords, all of us took into consideration some salient factors, especially the fact that some of us will love to travel to celebrate with our families and loved ones.
“Moreover, there is likely to be a two days public holidays next week. We will therefore plead your lordships to adjourn the case till after the Sallah celebration.
“We also want to assure your lordships that on our part, we will not exceed the days allotted to us. We will start and close out case the same week,” Olanipekun, SAN, added
After receiving no objection from the petitioners’ counsel, the five-member panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani adjourned the case until July 3 to allow INEC to begin presenting its defense against the petition.
The adjournment took place following the completion of testimony by Atiku’s key witness, Mr. Mike Enahoro-Ebah, who was subsequently excused from the witness box.
During his testimony, Enahoro-Ebah submitted certified copies of President Tinubu’s academic qualifications to the court, which were admitted as evidence and marked as an exhibit.
Equally admitted in evidence and marked as an exhibit by the panel was Tinubu’s certificate of service from Mobile Oil Nigeria Plc, which formed part of his work records, as well as a copy of his Guinean Passport.
Enahoro-Ebah told the court that he applied and obtained the Form EC9, which contained the affidavit of personal particulars, which Tinubu submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in aid of his qualifications to contest the presidential election.
He told the court that his lawyer in the United States of America, USA, also wrote to various schools that the 2nd Respondent, Tinubu, claimed to have attended, and obtained more information about him.
The witness told the court that among the documents he obtained from the USA, included Tinubu’s purported certificate from Chicago State University, which he said belonged to a female.
Also tendered before the court by the witness, was a transcript that was issued in 1977 by South West College, which he said equally established that the Tinubu that attended Chicago State University was a female.
Mr. Enahoro-Ebah told the court that whereas the forwarding letter from his lawyer in the USA, which contained Tinubu’s details, came on November 1, 2022, however, it was nof until April 2023 that he received a copy of the notorised judgement on criminal asset forfeiture proceedings that involved the 2nd Respondent.
Besides, he told the court that documents he obtained from INEC showed that the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, certificate that Tinubu submitted in aid of his qualifications, bore the name, Adekunle.
Despite stiff objections from the INEC, President Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress, APC, who are Respondents in the matter, the court, admitted all the documents in evidence and marked them as Exhibits PDE-1 to PDE-5.
More so, the witness, said he had in 2022, instituted a direct criminal complaints against Tinubu before a Chief Magistrate Court in Abuja.
He told the court that the Chief Magistrate Court declined jurisdiction to entertain the case.
Expressing his dissatisfaction with the court’s actions, the witness stated that he had written a petition to the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory regarding the matter.
A copy of the court process pertaining to the petition was admitted as evidence and marked as an exhibit by the panel.
When questioned about whether he had made inquiries with the Guinean embassy regarding the second respondent (Tinubu) renouncing his alleged citizenship, the response of the witness was not mentioned in the provided information.
The witness, said: “My lord, I did not have to because the former President of Guinea, Alpha Conde, admitted the issuance of the passport.”
Following insistence by Tinubu’s lawyer, Chief Olanipekun, SAN, that the said passport that was tendered in evidence, expired in 2020, the witness, said: “My lords, the data page indicated that it expired, but citizenship does not expire.”
Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has explained that the persistent crisis and legal disputes within the Peoples Democratic Party compelled him to defect to the All Progressives Congress.
The governor’s defection was formally announced on Monday by his deputy, Mani Mummuni, after a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Government House in Gusau.
In a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, the move was described as a necessary step taken in the interest of the state and supported by political stakeholders across Zamfara.
SEE ALSO: JUST IN: PDP Crisis Deepens as Appeal Court Upholds Ban on Ibadan Convention
According to the statement, Governor Lawal had remained committed to the PDP despite the ongoing leadership crisis and had made several efforts to reconcile factions within the party.
However, attempts to achieve peace and unity reportedly failed, leading to prolonged legal battles.
The development followed a judgment by the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which dismissed an appeal filed by the PDP challenging an earlier ruling of the Federal High Court.
The earlier judgment had restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising the outcome of the party’s national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The governor was said to have informed political stakeholders during a series of meetings that he would make a final decision about his political future after the appellate court delivered its ruling.
Following the judgment, Lawal concluded that joining the APC would better position him to continue what he described as the “Zamfara Rescue and Rebuild Mission.”
His defection marks a significant shift in the political landscape of Zamfara State and could influence political alignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has handed a significant setback to Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, dismissing his appeal challenging a Federal High Court ruling that questioned his eligibility to contest the upcoming governorship election.
A three-member panel delivered a unanimous judgment on Monday, affirming that the trial court acted correctly when it allowed Dr Akindele Egbuwalo, the plaintiff, to amend his originating summons.
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Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, who read the lead judgment, said the governor failed to show that the High Court’s decision caused any miscarriage of justice or denied him a fair hearing.
The appeal was therefore dismissed for lacking merit, and the court awarded ₦2 million in costs against Aiyedatiwa.
The ruling reinforces the November 24, 2025, Federal High Court decision in Akure, which granted Egbuwalo permission to challenge Aiyedatiwa’s eligibility for re-election.
Earlier, the Court of Appeal also rejected an application by Aiyedatiwa to set aside a January 27, 2026, order staying proceedings in the case before the Federal High Court.
The appellate court clarified that the stay was a lawful exercise of its jurisdiction aimed at protecting the integrity of the proceedings.
The panel further emphasized that attempting to overturn its own order would be akin to sitting on appeal over its own decision.
The governor’s remaining option, the court noted, is to challenge the ruling at the Supreme Court. Another ₦2 million in costs was awarded against Aiyedatiwa.
The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party has deepened following a ruling by the Court of Appeal in Abuja which upheld a ban on the party’s proposed national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State.
A three-man panel of the appellate court on Monday dismissed an appeal filed by a faction of the party led by former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki, challenging the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to hear a suit concerning the controversial convention.
The Turaki-led faction had approached the Court of Appeal after a Federal High Court barred the party from holding its planned national convention scheduled for November 14 and 15, 2025.
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The lower court also restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising or validating the proposed convention.
However, delivering judgment, the appellate court ruled that the Federal High Court had the authority to entertain the case, rejecting the argument that the matter was purely an internal affair of the party.
According to the court, the appellants could not present what it described as a clear violation of the party’s constitution and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as merely an internal party issue.
The panel subsequently dismissed the appeal and awarded a cost of N2 million against the appellants.
The ruling is part of judgments delivered in nine harmonised appeals filed by the Turaki-led faction over the dispute surrounding the convention.
The latest court decision is expected to further intensify the internal wrangling within the opposition party as it continues to grapple with leadership disputes and preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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