In a recent development, Nigeria’s presidential election tribunal rendered a verdict on Wednesday, asserting that the primary opposition parties in Nigeria failed to substantiate their claims of electoral misconduct against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the contested February elections.
One of the judges stated, “This petition is hereby declared lacking in merit,” as the tribunal dismissed the opposition’s challenge to Bola Tinubu’s presidential election victory.
Bola Tinubu, representing the APC, had been declared the winner of the presidential election with approximately one-third of the total votes, surpassing his closest competitors, Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party. Abubakar and Obi had petitioned the court, seeking to nullify the election results due to alleged irregularities.
The tribunal rejected all allegations presented by Labour Party candidate Peter Obi, including accusations of fraud, violations of electoral regulations by authorities, and claims of Tinubu’s ineligibility to run for the presidency.
Furthermore, the tribunal was in the process of delivering its judgment on a second petition from another opposition party, which was also anticipated to be dismissed.
It is worth noting that no legal challenge to the outcome of a presidential election in Nigeria has succeeded since the country’s return to democracy in 1999, following three decades of nearly uninterrupted military rule, characterized by electoral fraud.
Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have the option to appeal the tribunal’s decision to Nigeria’s Supreme Court. Any such appeal must be concluded within 60 days of the tribunal’s ruling.
European observers had previously noted issues with the elections in June, citing operational failures and a lack of transparency that eroded public confidence in the process.
However, the elections did not generate significant popular opposition, and Bola Tinubu has been internationally recognized as Nigeria’s legitimate leader. At the time of the tribunal’s ruling, Tinubu was in India, preparing to participate in the G20 summit.
While the tribunal’s decision favors Tinubu, it is unlikely to generate substantial enthusiasm or momentum for the president, given the record-low voter turnout of 29 percent in an electorate of over 200 million people, with 87 million registered voters. Tinubu received just 8.79 million votes, the lowest number for any president since the return to democracy.
Bola Tinubu assumed office amid a challenging economic landscape characterized by sluggish growth, high unemployment, the highest inflation rate in two decades, substantial debt, rampant oil theft impacting government revenue, and widespread security concerns inherited from his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari. In response, he has initiated a series of reforms, including the removal of a costly petrol subsidy and currency controls. However, these reforms have faced resistance from labor unions, who recently organized a two-day general strike and are planning further actions.
