After two challengers challenged Bola Tinubu’s victory in the contested election in February, the Nigerian presidential election tribunal is expected to make a decision on Wednesday over whether Tinubu should remain in office.
Numerous judicial challenges to the results of earlier presidential elections in Nigeria have been made, but none have been successful. Most political analysts anticipate that the tribunal would affirm Tinubu’s victory.
Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party both urged the court to declare the election void, citing anomalies and accusing the electoral board of breaking the law by not using electronic devices to transfer polling station results, among other things.
The tribunal, which will issue its decision in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, has the authority to, among other solutions, order a new election.
Atiku and Obi still have the opportunity to file a final appeal with Nigeria’s Supreme Court, the country’s highest court, if it affirms Tinubu’s victory. An appeal must be resolved within 60 days of the day the panel issued its ruling.
Prior to the decision, the military erected checkpoints on the main thoroughfares entering Abuja and conducted arbitrary car and commuter searches.
In India before the G20 Summit, Tinubu has defended his win and stated that he is primarily concerned with restoring the economy. He has put into place policies including getting rid of currency restrictions and a popular but expensive fuel subsidy.
But it has been difficult to convince Nigerians to accept the painful reforms, and the 71-year-old veteran is up against labour union opposition, which began a two-day strike on Tuesday, before a long strike from September 21.
The national issues that Tinubu inherited from his predecessor Muhammadu Buhari include anaemic growth, high unemployment, and the highest inflation rate in twenty years, record debt, huge oil theft that has hurt government finances, and pervasive insecurity.
Tinubu received 8.79 million votes, the fewest by a Nigerian president since the nation’s restoration to democracy in 1999, which limited the public’s willingness to help him in addressing these urgent issues.
