The Peoples Democratic Party-controlled state governments of Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Taraba, and Sokoto, which had filed a suit against the Federal Government in the Supreme Court challenging the declaration of All Progressives Congress Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as President-elect, have dropped the suit.
Take notice that the plaintiffs doth hereby wholly discontinue this suit against the defendant herein,” said the Notice of Discontinuance signed by their lawyer, Mr. Mike Ozekhome SAN, on Friday.
The Cheer News reported that the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu victory and declaration by INEC is being challenged by six states of the federation at the Supreme Court.
It reports that six states of the federation; Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo and Sokoto have dragged the federal government before the Supreme Court over the conduct, collation and announcement of the February 25, 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections.
It was gathered that the six states are asking the Supreme Court to declare that the pronouncement of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as winner of the February 25 presidential election and president-elect based on that election be voided by the court.
They are seeking “A declaration that the entire results of the Presidential Election conducted on the 25th of February, 2023 announced by the Chairman of INEC at the National Collation Centre, Abuja, in flagrant violation of the provisions of Sections 25; 47(2); 60 (1), (2), (4) & (5); 62; 64(4)(a) & (b); 70; and 148 of the Electoral Act, 2022, governing the 2023 nationwide general elections, particularly paragraphs 38 of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022; and paragraphs 2.8.4; 2.9.0; and 2.9.1 of the INEC Manual for Election Officials, 2023, for the conduct of the Presidential Election, were invalid, null and void, and of no effect whatsoever.
“A declaration that the fundamentally flawed electoral process through the non-uploading of the results of each of the 176,974 Polling Units nationwide, in respect of the presidential election and National Assembly Elections held on Saturday, 25th February 2023 were not in accordance with the provisions of Sections 25; 47(2); 60 (1), (2), (4) & (5); 62; 64(4)(a) & (b); 70; and 148 of the Electoral Act, 2022, governing the 2023 nationwide general elections, particularly paragraphs 38 of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022; and paragraphs 2.8.4; 2.9.0; and 2.9.1 of the INEC Manual for Election Officials, 2023, for the conduct of the presidential election
In addition, they are seeking “A declaration that the failure of the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission to electronically transmit or transfer Polling Unit Results in Form EC8A using BVAS by uploading Scanned Copy of the said Unit Result to the Independent National Electoral Commission Result Viewing Portal (IReV) after the counting and announcement of the Polling Units results on 25th of February, 2023 in collusion, violates the provision of Sections 25; 47(2); 60 (1), (2), (4) & (5); 62; 64(4)(a) & (b); 70; and 148 of the Electoral Act, 2022, governing the 2023 nationwide general elections, particularly paragraphs 38 of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022; and paragraphs 2.8.4; 2.9.0; and 2.9.1 of the INEC Manual for Election Officials, 2023, for the conduct of the presidential election.”
