According to Adebayo, they are poorly presented, abysmally unproved and comically argued.
Adewole Adebayo, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2023 presidential election, has said the petitions filed to challenge the outcome of the election lack merit.
According to Adebayo, they are poorly presented, abysmally unproved and comically argued.
The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu had declared Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the February 25 presidential election.
Following the declaration, five political parties and their candidates in the election filed petitions before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) sitting at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, challenging Tinubu’s declaration as the winner of the election.
The petitioners, in their various petitions, alleged that Tinubu was not qualified to contest the election and that INEC conducted the election in gross violation of the Constitution, the Electoral Act and INEC’s guidelines for the conduct of the election.
The five political parties that filed petitions against Tinubu’s victory at the poll are the Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP), Labour Party (LP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Meanwhile, some of the petitions have been thrown out by the court.
However, Adebayo in a statement on his verified Twitter handle on Friday, noted that the 2023 election petitions are the easiest to dispense with since 1999.
He asserted that there will be no need for any “judicial acrobatics” and advised opposition elements to prepare for 2027 elections.
"This year's election petitions are the easiest to dispense with since 1999. No need for any judicial acrobatics. They fall within clear jurisprudence and well established precedents. Obi/ Labour vs Tinubu/INEC will be dismissed in limine; ditto for Atiku/PDP vs Tinubu/INEC.
"These petitions lack merit and are poorly presented, abysmally unproved and comically argued. APM's half-hearted petition is a pre-election mongrel with no pedigree in electoral litigation. The judges are not to blame. All opposition elements should prepare for 2027 elections," the statement added
This year's election petitions are the easiest to dispense with since 1999. No need for any judicial acrobatics. They fall within clear jurisprudence and well established precedents. Obi/ Labour vs Tinubu/INEC will be dismissed in limine; ditto for Atiku/PDP vs Tinubu/INEC...
— Adewole Adebayo ESQ (@Pres_Adebayo) August 4, 2023