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Presidential elections

EU and ECOWAS Election Reports Inadmissible in Nigerian Courts

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A senior judge in Nigeria's second-highest court, the Court of Appeal, has ruled that the European Union (EU) and ECOWAS delegation reports on the country's 2023 presidential election are "valueless" and "inadmissible" in Nigerian courts. This ruling was made by Moses Ugo, a judge of the Court of Appeal, while reading his ruling as a member of the Presidential Election Petition Court. The five-member panel on the PEPC dismissed the appeals filed by three opposition parties against the election of President Bola Tinubu. The judge emphasized that the EU and ECOWAS reports were inadmissible since the makers of the report did not present themselves in court to face cross-examination to authenticate their opinions. The reports had criticized parts of the 2023 presidential election.

Key Takeaways:

  • The EU and ECOWAS election reports are considered inadmissible in Nigerian courts due to the failure of the report makers to present themselves in court for cross-examination.
  • The five-member panel on the PEPC dismissed the appeals filed by three opposition parties against the election of President Bola Tinubu.
  • The reports criticized parts of the 2023 presidential election.
  • President Bola Tinubu was unanimously affirmed as the validly elected President of Nigeria by the five-member panel of judges.
  • The panel of judges led by Haruna Tsammani dismissed all three petitions challenging Mr. Tinubu's election in his lead judgement.
  • The petitioners were Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, and the All Peoples Movement.
  • The panel described some of the legal arguments of Atiku and Mr. Obi as "fallacious and ridiculous".
  • The petitioners failed to prove that the 2023 presidential election and the return of Mr. Tinubu was invalid due to corrupt practices or non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022.

Statistics:

  • 3 opposition parties filed appeals against President Bola Tinubu's election.
  • 5-member panel of judges dismissed the appeals.
  • The panel led by Haruna Tsammani delivered the lead judgement.
  • All 3 petitions challenging Mr. Tinubu's election were dismissed.
  • The petitioners adduced no credible evidence to support their cases.
  • 2023 presidential election had 2 main runners-up, Atiku Abubakar (Peoples Democratic Party) and Peter Obi (Labour Party).

Sources:

  • PREMIUM TIMES
  • National Court of Appeal, Nigeria

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