On tuesday, 7th March 2023, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP),Atiku Abubakar, inaugurated the legal team to challenge the controversial presidential election of February 25. The team include 17 Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SAN.
Atiku had, while inaugurating the legal team at his campaign headquarters in Abuja, charged members to establish the claim of illegality in the February 25 presidential election and reclaim the mandate of the Nigerian people.
The PDP candidate instructed the legal team that apart from reclaiming the mandate from those who “undertook the electoral heist”, they should also use the opportunity of the trial to strengthen constitutional democracy in the country.
Vanguard reported that in his brief to the team, which is being headed by Chief J. K. Gadzama (SAN), at the conference room of his office at the campaign headquarters, Atiku said it was imperative that they work assiduously in reclaiming the mandate not necessarily because of him and the PDP, “but to strengthen democracy and the electoral process and for generations unborn.”
Those listed as members of the team include: Chief Chris Uche (SAN), Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN), Tayo Jegede (SAN), Ken Mozia (SAN), Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), Mahmood Magaji (SAN), Joe Abraham (SAN), Mr Chukwuma Umeh (SAN), Dr. Garba Tetengi (SAN) and Chief Emeka Etiaba (SAN).
Others are Chief Goddy Uche (SAN), Prof. Maxwell Gidado (SAN); the National Legal Adviser of the PDP, A. K. Ajibade (SAN), Mr. O. M. Atoyebi (SAN), Mrs. Nella Rabana (SAN), Paul Ogbole (SAN), Nuremi Jimoh (SAN), and Abdul Ibrahim (SAN).
Bring to mind that the PDP had accused the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, of reneging on its promise of a free, fair and credible election.
The party held that figures relied upon by INEC to declare the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, winner of the presidential election was at variance with the actual votes cast.
It also holds that INEC did fail to abide by provisions of the Electoral Act and its own guidelines to upload the election results from the polling units using the BVAS, thereby giving room for the falsification of figures to give the APC an underserved victory.
