The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal on Wednesday delivered its judgment on the election petitions filed by the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, and Labour Party, Peter Obi, challenging President Bola Tibunu’s election. Below are some of the key highlights of the verdict

They did not even bother to place such credible evidence before this court. Were they expecting the court to go and gather evidence from the street or the market? Or to be persuaded or intimidated by threats on social media. That is not the way of the court

– Hon. Justice Monsurat Bolaji-Yusuf

The assertion of petitioners that INEC simply closed down or blocked its iREV and transmission system from the public to enable it to manipulate the election results in favour of the second respondent also takes me directly to the more important question in the petition, namely, whether that allegation is even worthy of belief’

– Hon. Justice Moses Ugo

They failed to state the number of votes affected and the number of people disenfranchised. It is unimaginable that a petitioner will allege widespread rigging in 176,000 Polling units, over 8,000 wards, 774 LGAs, 36 States and FCT without stating the specific place where the alleged irregularities occur

– Hon. Justice Abba Mohammed

The petitioners have evidently failed to establish their allegation that the 2nd respondent is disqualified from contesting the presidential election under Sec 137 (1)(d) of the 1999 constitution because he was fined $460,000 by a district court in Illinois

– Hon. Justice Tsammani

I am of the very fixed view that the two sets of petitioners did not by any means discharge the burden on them of proving that the results of the presidential election of 25th February, 2023 as declared by 1st respondent were incorrect

– Hon. Justice Moses Ugo

At any rate, why did any of the two sets of petitioners not tender even a single polling unit result issued by INEC to their polling unit agents to support their claim of manipulation of election results by INEC, even as they all agreed that they have agents in the polling units?

– Hon. Justice Moses Ugo

The FCT is no more than a state,for the purposes of calculating thevotes in a presidential election. Nothing more than that. The FCTis not superior to a state”

–Hon. Justice Haruna Tsammani

The European Election Observer mission report is valueless. It’s a book anyway and you cannot cross-examine books to get the truth to the truth

– Hon. Justice Moses Ugo

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