Presidential Tribunal: APP Withdraws Election Petition Against Tinubu

The Action Peoples Party, (APP) has withdrawn its election petition against the President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu.

The APP’s lawyer, Mr. Obed Agu, informed the court that his client sought to withdraw the case during the matter’s resumed hearing on Wednesday before the Presidential Election case Court in Abuja.

He said, “I filed a motion on notice on behalf of my client on May 9 and we desire to move the motion.

“The petitioner/applicant wishes to withdraw the petition in line with Paragraph 29 Sub  (1,2,3) of the Schedule of Election Petitions.

“The petitioner is asking for an order of court to grant it leave to withdraw the petition and an order of court striking out or dismissing the petition.”

Mr. Wole Olanipekun, SAN, the lawyer for Tinubu, responded by informing the court that he had received a copy of the application and was not opposed to it.

Olanipekun rather than criticizing the party for dropping the petition expressed hope that further parties would drop their complaints against his client.

For his side, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, informed the court that he had submitted an affidavit in accordance with Section 30 of the Electoral Act of 2022’s first Schedule.

In the affidavit, according to Fagbemi, it was essentially stated that there was no collaboration and that he was not opposed to the request to drop the petition.

The petitioners announced their intention to withdraw the petition by filing a motion to that effect on May 9, according to the affidavit’s deponent, Mr. Omosanya Popoola.

He testified that the APC and the petitioners did not achieve any agreement or terms that led to their decision to withdraw the petition.

“I know as a fact that no agreement or terms of any kind whatsoever was entered into with the petitioners and based on the above information, i sincerely believe that the petitioners were not influenced by anybody to withdraw this petition.”

In addition, Mr. Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN, counsel for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), informed the court that he had received a copy of the motion.

Additionally, he asserted that there was no conspiracy, and he praised the APP for dropping the petition.

He claimed that his client wouldn’t inquire about payment.

Justice Haruna Tsammani, who presided over the hearing, stated in a brief ruling that the panel had given serious thought to the application of the APP.

He claimed that they were satisfied that the responses had not colluded.

“Petition No. CA/PEPC/02/2023 is hereby dismissed,” Tsammani said.

Agu said in an interview that he had acted on his client’s instructions.

He claimed I had a brief to file the petition and another to withdraw it.

Recall that in the earlier petition, the APP contested INEC’s pronouncement of Tinubu as the victor of the presidential election held on February 25.

The party said that it was contesting the results of the election due to irregularities and also because Tinubu was not eligible to run in the first place.