Consider FCT as 37th State for Purpose of Presidential Election, Tinubu Tells Court

President Bola A Tinubu today asked the Presidential Election Petition Court sitting in Abuja to consider the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Abuja as the 37th state of the federation for the purpose of the February 25 presidential election.

Adopting his final written address in the petition filed by Atiku and his party, the PDP challenging his election, President Tinubu, through his lead counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, the president urged the court to read the constitution collectively, particularly as it relates to FCT and submitted that the FCT, is the 37th state for purpose of the presidential election.

Referring to Section 134(2)(b) of the constitution which provides that a candidate contesting for post of president must score not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in at least two-third of all the states in the federation and FCT in Abuja, Olanipekun said, Tinubu won one-third of two-third votes in FCT which qualifies him to be declared president.

The senior lawyer also submitted that there is a difference between transfer and transmission and added that I-Rev plays no role in the collation of election results.

According to Olanipekun, it would be for public interest that the court would not set aside the decision of the electorate and urged the court to dismiss the petition.

Counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN), said the petitioners failed to discharge the burden of proof required of them by law.

Mahmoud agreed with the petitioners that there was a glitch that disturbed the result in real time and urged the court to hold that the glitch was not human interference as the petitioners were not able to proof to court how it affected the final results of the election, stating that the whole case on noncompliance collapse.

Counsel to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), while adopting the final written address for the party, said all the issues raised by the petitioners have been addressed by judicial pronouncement and resolution.