Dr. Livy Uzoukwu, SAN, the lawyer representing the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has stated that he intends to appeal the judgment of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal, which upheld President Bola Tinubu’s election.
Uzoukwu expressed his dissatisfaction with the tribunal’s decision and warned that if litigants continue to face obstacles in establishing their cases due to hindrances from government institutions like the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), they may resort to alternative, possibly unlawful, means of seeking justice. He also expressed concern that without transparency in the electoral process, sound electoral jurisprudence in Nigeria could be jeopardized.
He commended the Court of Appeal for introducing live streaming during the judgment announcement, emphasizing the importance of transparency in the electoral process. He hoped that live streaming would be implemented from the beginning of future cases to allow the public to closely follow the proceedings and make informed judgments.
In its verdict, the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal, chaired by Justice Haruna Tsammani, unanimously upheld President Tinubu’s election victory and dismissed the petitions filed by Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party challenging the election results. The tribunal cited a lack of merit among other reasons for its decision.