Disputed Election: List of APC Chieftains, Tinubu's Allies Present as Supreme Court Begins Hearing
FCT, Abuja - The legal battle to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu continued on Monday, October 23.
The battle shifted to the Supreme Court as the apex court listed the election petition appeal filed by former vice-president Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the February presidential poll for hearing.
Source: Facebook
The Supreme Court is the final arbiter of Nigeria's legal disputes, thus the cases brought by Atiku and other opposition parties against the governing party will be settled there.
In court on Monday were some chieftains of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Check out President Tinubu's allies in attendance at the Supreme Court hearing below:
1) Nuhu Ribadu
Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser (NSA) was in attendance.
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Ribadu, who ran unsuccessfully for the office of the President of Nigeria in 2011, had also attended the presidential tribunal's judgement in September.
He is a former chairman of the Petroleum Special Revenue Task Force and the erstwhile boss of Nigeria's anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Pictures seen by Legit.ng showed Ribadu bantering with some senior lawyers inside the courtroom.
2) Femi Gbajabiamila
Gbajabiamila is a longtime loyalist of President Tinubu and is the president's current Chief of Staff (CoS).
Like Ribadu, the former house of representatives speaker was among those who attended the tribunal's final sitting at the Court of Appeal in Abuja. He did not miss Monday's sitting at the Supreme Court too.
3) Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje
Ganduje, the national chairman of the APC was also in court. Currently, many consider the immediate past governor of Kano state as a staunch supporter of the President.
President Tinubu is also believed to cherish him especially as the northwest zone where he comes from is crucial for the APC.
Ganduje succeeded Abdullahi Adamu who resigned in July.
4) Ajibola Bashiru
Bashiru, the APC national secretary, Ajibola Bashiru was present at the Supreme Court for Monday's proceeding.
Bashiru served as the senator representing Osun Central Senatorial District from 2019 to 2023. He was a former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Osun state, and served as commissioner in the ministry of regional integration and special duties from August 2010 to November 2014.
Supreme Court trashes opposition's plea challenging Tinubu
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal filed by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) challenging the nomination of Kashim Shettima as the vice presidential candidate of the APC in the February 2023 election.
A seven-member panel, headed by Justice John Okoro pronounced the dismissal of the appeal after the appellant’s lawyer, Chukwuma Majukwu Umeh applied to withdraw it.
Supreme Court reserves judgement in Obi's appeal
Legit.ng also reported that reserved judgment in the appeal by Peter Obi and the Labour Party (LP) against the September 6 judgement of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) which affirmed the victory of President Tinubu in the last presidential election.
Obi and the LP, through their lawyers led by Livy Uzoukwu (SAN), urged the court to uphold the appeal and set aside the judgement of the tribunal that dismissed their petition.
'Focus on 2031': Igbokwe to Atiku, Obi
In another related news, Legit.ng reported that Joe Igbokwe, a chieftain of the ruling APC counselled Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi to “start preparing for 2031".
With Igbokwe’s comment, he implies that President Tinubu will occupy the seat at the Aso Villa for a complete eight-year twin tenure.
The APC stalwart said Atiku and Obi have eight years to tell Nigerians who they are.
Source: Legit.ng
