The Supreme Court of Nigeria, finally put to rest the confusion, controversies and conflicts over the February 25 2023 Presidential elections, won by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, of the All Progressive, (APC) after about eight months of legal battle. This was sequel to its judgement of 26 October 2023, which dismissed the cases brought before it by two opposition Presidential candidates, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP); and Mr. Peter Obi, of the Labor Party (LP) as lacking in merit.
The 2023 Presidential elections were hotly contested by no fewer than 18 presidential candidates, and managed by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC.) INEC had at the 2023 general elections attempted to improve on the transparency of the electoral process in the country, and introduced digital review portal into the process; the electoral body had on the eve of the elections promised that results would be transmitted on the reviewing portals at the polling units. However, on the voting day, INEC failed to digitally transmit the results from the polling units as promised; this set tongues wagging among a cross sections of players in the election, especially, candidates and their supporters.
At the end, INEC declared President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress, (APC) winner of the elections with 8, 794, 726 votes, representing about 37 percent of the total votes cast; followed closely
by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) who lost with 6, 984, 520 votes, representing about 29 percent of the total votes cast; while Mr. Peter Obi, of the Labor Party, (LP) trailed as second runner-up, with 6, 101, 533 votes, representing 25 percent of the total votes cast.
