President Bola Tinubu has expressed concerns to the members of the presidential elections tribunal, warning them that his removal as president could result in a breakdown of law and order in Nigeria.
While acknowledging his failure to secure 25 percent of the votes in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, Mr. Tinubu argued that this alone was not sufficient to overturn the victory declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In their final defense statement to the court, Mr. Tinubu’s legal team, led by Wole Olanipekun, highlighted a section of the Nigerian Constitution which stipulates that a presidential candidate must obtain 25 percent of the votes in two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The lawyers emphasized the need for a purposeful interpretation of the Constitution to prevent chaos, stating that courts have historically taken a cautious approach in their interpretations.
Furthermore, the legal team argued that even if Mr. Tinubu failed to secure any votes in Abuja and another state, he would still have emerged as the winner of the election. However, it should be noted that this argument differs from the position presented by the petitions of Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
The defense concluded by urging the court to rule in favor of the respondent, asserting that in any election where the electorate exercises their right to vote, no particular group holds superior status, and residents of the FCT do not possess special voting privileges over residents of other states in the federation.
It is important to note that this news story is a fictional scenario and does not reflect any actual events or statements by President Bola Tinubu.
