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Live Updates: Supreme Court Begins Hearing On Atiku/Buhari 2019 Presidential Appeals

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2023: Atiku Does Not Have Same Electoral Value As Buhari
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The Supreme Court of Nigeria has on Wednesday, commenced sitting to hear the appeal filed by Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the election victory of President Muhammadu Buhari, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 Presidential election.

As earlier reported by Naija News, Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Mohammed is leading a seven-man panel of justices to hear and determine the suit.

The full list of justices to hear the Supreme Court case are:

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1. CJN Tanko Mohammed

2. Bode Rhodes-Vivour

3. Amiru Sanusi

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4. Uwani Abaji

5. Ejembi Eko

6. John Inyang Okoro

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7. Olukayode Ariwoola

Kindly keep refreshing the page to get the latest updates.


1:40 PM – Breaking: The Supreme Court has upheld Muhammadu Buhari’s election as the President of Nigeria and dismissed the appeal by Atiku Abubakar and the PDP.

12:35 PM – Court adjourns after hearing the submission from all counsels representing the parties involved in the suit.

12:22 PM – Lateef Fagbemi, counsel to the APC in his submission before the panel, agreed with the position adopted by Olanipekun and urged the Supreme Court to dismiss and throw out the appeal by the PDP and its candidate.

12: 12 PM – Olanipekun also submitted on the issue of INEC server that the court of appeal panel did not agree that there was a server noting that the conclusion was that “there was a website managed and controlled by INEC.”

12:10 PM – Similarly, Buhari’s counsel, Wole Olanipekun said the Nigerian constitution does not mandate a presidential candidate to attach his certificates as evidence of qualification.

He said this in response to earlier claims by Uzoukwu that President Buhari failed to attach or present his academic certificate.

12:00 PM – However, in his response, Yunus Usman, counsel to INEC said the amendment of sec 52(2) of the electoral act implies that INEC has the discretion on how to transmit election results. He, therefore, called on the court to dismiss Uzoukwu’s submission on the server.

INEC Server

11:40 AM – Again, Uzoukwu brings up the issue of server in the conduct of the 2019 presidential election, arguing that section 52(2) of the electoral act which INEC relied upon in rejecting the use of server, has been amended and deleted from the electoral act.

11:32 AM – On Buhari’s actual academic qualification, Uzoukwu says Buhari failed to present both his primary and secondary school certificates.

11:30 AM – Atiku’s counsel, Levi Uzoukwu is arguing that the Presidential Tribunal was wrong to have said Muhammadu is the same as Mohamed as contained in President Buhari’s academic qualification presented for the election.

10:10 AM – The panel rejects an appeal by Atiku’s lawyer to allow counsels to adopt all their briefs, both in the main appeal and other (7) interlocutory appeals.

The lead judge ordered that “all other appeals shall abide by judgment in SC/1211/19”, which is the main appeal.

10:00 AM – Each of the senior counsels representing the parties is given 15 minutes by the panel to outline their written submissions.

Levi Uzoukwu is leading Atiku’s legal team. Yunus Usman is representing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) while Wole Olanipekun and Lateef Fagbemi are representing President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC respectively.

9:55 AM – The court begins session shortly after the arrival of the panel led by Ibrahim Mohammed, Chief Justice of Nigeria.