The Supreme Court on Monday began hearing in the three appeals seeking to remove Bola Tinubu as President of Nigeria.
The appeals flow from the decision of the Presidential Election Petitions Court which on September 6, dismissed the cases filed by Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, Labour Party’s Peter Obi and the Allied People’s Movement.
While Atiku has 35 grounds of appeal, Obi has filed 51 grounds while the APM has a sole issue of complaint against the lower court’s decision.
Atiku has also filed a fresh evidence before the court, based on the deposition of the Registrar of the Chicago State University to the effect that Tinubu submitted a forged certificate from the university to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
But Tinubu’s lawyers in their counter affidavit have challenged the new piece of evidence, arguing that it was not pleaded at the trial stage and therefore,cannot be brought in on appeal.
Leading the panel of seven Justices of the court is Justice Inyang Okoro, one of the most senior on the apex bench.
In court to witness the proceedings are the Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu and the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Ganduje.
Also, the acting National Chairman of the PDP, Umar Damagum and the Labour Party chairman Julius Abure, are present to witness proceedings.
Access to the Supreme Court has been highly restricted, with different layers of security barricades and checks mounted on the roads leading to into the court.
