The legal teams of the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) in the February 25, 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, respectively, have confirmed that they have received the Certified True Copies of the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC).
The PEPC had recently delivered a 12-hour judgment on the appeals arising from the presidential election, upholding the election of President Bola Tinubu. Both Atiku and Obi had rejected the court’s judgment and vowed to approach the Supreme Court.
Dr. Livy Uzoukwu (SAN), the lead counsel for Peter Obi, confirmed that he had received a copy of the judgment.
Similarly, Chris Uche (SAN), the lead counsel for Atiku Abubakar, also confirmed receiving the judgment.
Atiku’s Special Assistant on Public Communications had earlier criticized the PEPC for allegedly failing to release the certified copies of the judgment to Atiku’s legal team, claiming that it was undermining their quest for justice.
The certified true copies of the judgment have now been made available to both parties, paving the way for them to proceed with their appeal to the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, the Lamidi Apapa faction of the Labour Party (LP) has alleged that LP’s National Chairman, Julius Abure, and Peter Obi failed to provide results of polling units at the tribunal because they did not pay party agents. The faction’s spokesman claimed that party agents went away with result sheets when their stipends were not paid.
The faction stated that going to the Supreme Court would be a waste of time and resources, and they urged Peter Obi to accept the tribunal’s verdict.
However, LP’s National Legal Adviser, Kehinde Edun, dismissed the claims made by the Apapa faction, stating that the court was aware of the issues regarding the polling unit results. Edun accused the Apapa faction of being an extension of the ruling party and rejoicing with their paymasters.
Obi’s media aide emphasized that they were heading to the Supreme Court to ensure justice was served and to fight for a new Nigeria.
The receipt of the certified copies of the judgment now sets the stage for the legal battle to continue in the Supreme Court as both Atiku and Obi seek to challenge the PEPC’s decision.