Disputed Election: List of APC Chieftains, Tinubu's Allies Present as Supreme Court Begins Hearing

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.

APC/APC news/APC news today/Supreme Court
Tinubu's allies stormed the Supreme Court as the hearing of appeals against the president's victory begins. Photo credits: Nuhu Ribadu, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila
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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BREAKING: Tinubu presides over 3rd FEC meeting, details emerge

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.

Read also

BREAKING: Panic as Supreme Court adjourns Atiku, Peter Obi's appeals, dismisses APM's suit

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.

Read also

BREAKING: Supreme Court trashes opposition's plea challenging Tinubu's election, details emerge

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

Authors:
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Ridwan Adeola (Current Affairs Editor) Ridwan Adeola Yusuf is a content creator with more than nine years of experience, He is also a Current Affairs Editor at Legit.ng. He holds a Higher National Diploma in Mass Communication from the Polytechnic Ibadan, Oyo State (2014). Ridwan previously worked at Africa Check, contributing to fact-checking research works within the organisation. He is an active member of the Academic Excellence Initiative (AEI). In March 2024, Ridwan completed the full Google News Initiative Lab workshop and his effort was recognised with a Certificate of Completion. Email: ridwan.adeola@corp.legit.ng.