Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has taken a step forward in his quest to challenge the declaration of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the President-elect.
Atiku has approached the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to contest the outcome of the February 25, 2023, presidential election.
His move was confirmed by Silas Joseph Onu, a member of the Atiku Legal Team on Tuesday evening.
Earlier on the same day on 21st March 2023, the Labour Party (LP) and its candidate, Peter Obi, had also filed a petition at the election petitions tribunal in Abuja, similarly challenging Tinubu’s status as the winner of the election.
The petition, which is marked: CA/PEPC/03/2023, lists the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Tinubu, his running mate Senator Kashim Shettima, and the APC as the 1st to 4th respondents.
The petitioners are seeking a declaration from the tribunal that Tinubu was not duly elected by a majority of the lawful votes cast at the election.
They are also seeking an order mandating INEC to retrieve the certificate of return issued to the APC candidate and issue a fresh one to Obi. The legal battle between the parties promises to be intense, and many are keenly watching to see how it unfolds.