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Fri, Mar

Tribunal Dismisses Atiku's Petition, Upholds Buhari's Election

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The presidential election tribunal on Wednesday dismissed the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, challenging the declaration of Muhammadu Buhari, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC as the winner of the election.

Premiumtimes reports that the judgement by the five-member tribunal was read by Garba Mohammed. The tribunal ruled each of the five arguments by the PDP and Mr. Abubakar against them.

 

Mr. Mohammed said the petitioners failed to prove their petition beyond reasonable doubt and the petition “is hereby dismissed in its entirety.”

 

All five members of the panel agreed with the lead judgement. As part of its ruling, the tribunal said Mr. Abubakar and the PDP provided no evidence that the 2019 general election was not in compliance with the Electoral Act.

 

Mr. Mohammed noted a number of allegations brought by the petitioners to back their claim of massive non-compliance to electoral guidelines across the nation.

 

He said some of the issues raised include “none holding of elections in some polling units, cancellation of results,over-voting, inflation and deflation of votes among other things.”

 

“The petitioners have a duty to prove all the allegations which are criminal in nature beyond reasonable doubt. The petitioners pleaded that so many of their agents were situated in various polling units and that members of the first respondents connived with security agents to conduct massive rigging.

 

“They also alleged that no real voting took place in Dekina local government area, among others,” the judge said.

 

The court, however, added that the PDP failed to call the polling unit agents who would have testified to the fact that they were arrested, harassed or affected by the violence pictured by the petitioners.

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