Jonathan Vs Buhari: Supreme Court Sets Ruling For December 28

ABUJA, December 13, (THEWILL) – The Supreme Court of Nigeria will deliver its judgement on December 28, 2011, in the appeal filed by the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) seeking to nullify the election of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), after the duo were declared winner of the Presidential election conducted in April.

The apex court set the date after listening to arguments from counsels to the PDP, and CPC, whose candidates Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) and Pastor Tunde Bakare suffered an embarrassing defeat in the election.

CPC’s counsel, Mr. Oladipo Opeseyi SAN urged the seven-member panel of Supreme Court justices to upturn the decision of the Court of Appeal arguing that there was no winner at the presidential election in accordance with the provision of section 134 of the Constitution.

Opeseyi told the apex court that the tribunal wrongfully evaluated the evidence adduced before it by the witnesses called by the respondents (PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission).

However, in his submission, counsel to President Jonathan and Vice President Sambo, Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN said that the CPC failed to prove that the election was marred by fraud, while it also failed to appeal the ruling since their application to recall the PW1 was turned down by the lower court. He further argued that their appeal was lacking in substance and urged the apex court to uphold the election of Jonathan and Sambo.

Recall that the Court of Appeal had in a unanimous judgment dismissed the petition filed by the CPC for lacking both merit and substance, while it went further to uphold the election of President Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo having secured two thirds of the lawful votes cast during the election.