Tobias Sylvester
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has appointed 12 senior advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to defend its candidate, Bola Tinubu, at the presidential election petition tribunal.
KanyiDaily recalls that on March 1, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 presidential election.
However, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) approached the tribunal to challenge Tinubu’s victory.
The two opposition parties rejected the presidential election results over alleged irregularities and non-compliance to the provisions of the electoral act.
In a statement on Tuesday, APC National Legal Adviser, Ahmad Usman El-Marzuq, released a 13-man list comprising 12 senior advocates that would represent the party and its candidate in court.
El-Marzuq said the legal team would be led by Prince Lateef Fagbemi, a renowned lawyer who had successfully handled various high-profile election matters and other landmark cases.
The statement reads, “The All Progressives Congress (APC) has appointed a team of highly qualified and experienced lawyers to represent the Party at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
“The team is comprised of legal luminaries with vast experience in election petition matters, constitutional law, and litigation.
“The legal team consisting of twelve (12) Senior Advocates of Nigeria and the National Legal Adviser of the Party, Ahmad Usman El-Marzuq, Esq., is led by Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, a renowned lawyer who has successfully handled various high-profile election matters and other landmark cases.”
Other members of the list are Ahmad Usman El-Marzuq, Sam Ologunorisa, Rotimi Oguneso, Olabisi Soyebo, Gboyega Oyewole, Muritala Abdulrasheed, Aliyu Omezia Saiki, Tajudeen Oladoja, Pius Akubo, Oluseye Opasanya, Suraju Saida and Kazeem Adeniyi.
The party is “confident that the legal team possesses requisite expertise and experience to ensure a successful outcome for the APC in the Presidential Election Petition matters.”
It also urged party members to support the team in its effort to defend the will and mandate of the people, calling on all parties involved to conduct themselves with the utmost professionalism and respect for the rule of law throughout the legal process.
KanyiDaily recalls that the INEC had recently asked the tribunal to modify the orders granted to Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi to inspect materials used for the presidential election.
