VOICE AIR MEDIA News Update
THE presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar has asked the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) to declare him winner or order a rerun between him and the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
In the alternative, he wants the entire election nullified and a fresh one conducted.
These are the key reliefs being sought in the petition filed for him and the PDP at the PEPC secretariat on Tuesday night by their team of lawyers led by Joe Gadzama (SAN).
Listed as respondents in the petition marked: CA/PEPC/05/2023 are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Tinubu and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Atiku and the PDP are challenging the election on four grounds.
_The election of the 2nd respondent (Tinubu) is invalid by reason of noncompliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022.
_The election of the 2nd respondent Is invalid by reason of corrupt practices.
_The 2nd respondent was not duly elected by majority of lawful votes cast at the election.
_The 2nd respondent was, at the time of the election, not qualified to contest the election.
Atiku and the PDP are praying the court for the following:
_That it may be determined that the 2nd respondent was not duty elected by the majority of lawful votes cast in the election and therefore the declaration and return of the 2nd respondent by the 1st respondent as the winner of the presidential election conducted on the 25th day of February, 2023 is unlawful, wrongful, unconstitutional, undue, null and void and of no effect whatsoever.
_That it may be determined that the return of the 2nd respondent by the 1st respondent was wrongful, unlawful, undue, null and void having not satisfied the requirements of the Electoral Act 2022 and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) which mandatorily requires the 2nd Respondent to score mot less than one quarter (25 percent) of the lawful votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the states in the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
_That it may be determined that the 2nd respondent was, at the time of the election, not qualified to contest the said election.
_That it may be determined that the 1st petitioner having scored the majority of lawful votes cast at the Presidential election of Saturday, 25th February 2023, be returned as the winner of the said election and be sworn in as the duly elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In the alternative, _An order directing the 1st respondent to conduct a second election (run-off) between the 1st petitioner and the 2nd respondent.
In further alternative, _That the election to the office of the President of Nigeria held on 25th February 2023 be nullified and a fresh election (re-run) ordered.