ABUJA—In a surprising turn of events, the Action Peoples Party (APP) announced the withdrawal of its petition challenging the declaration of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 presidential election. The party made this decision during the resumed proceedings at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) in Abuja, where it formally terminated further hearing on its petition.
Counsel to the party, Mr. Obed Agu, informed the five-member panel of the court that the withdrawal notice, filed on May 9, was based on Paragraph 29(1)(2) and (3) of the Schedule for Election Petitions. As a result, the party sought an order to strike out or dismiss the petition.
Tinubu, the President-elect, through his lead counsel, Chief Wole Olanipenkun, SAN, expressed no opposition to APP’s application to withdraw the petition. He commended their decision and expressed hope that more parties would follow suit. Tinubu’s legal team also stated that they did not seek any costs related to the withdrawal.
The All Progressives Congress (APC), represented by lead counsel Prince Lateef Fagemi, SAN, similarly did not oppose the withdrawal and praised APP’s actions. Fagemi urged other petitioners who still had pending cases before the court to emulate APP’s decision and withdraw their petitions promptly.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) also did not oppose APP’s application. INEC’s lawyer, Mr. A. B. Mahmood, SAN, confirmed that the application was served to him on the previous day.
Following deliberations and considering the positions of all parties involved, the panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani dismissed the petition. The court found no collusion among the parties and concluded that the withdrawal rendered the petition dismissed.
The APP had alleged electoral manipulation in favor of Tinubu in 11 states of the federation. It specifically claimed that the President-elect had “corruptly induced” electoral officers to manipulate results at the local government and state collation centers in Rivers and other states.
Recently, the Action Alliance (AA) also withdrew its petition against Tinubu’s victory. However, both the APP and AA did not provide explicit reasons for their sudden decisions to terminate the proceedings related to their cases.
Further details on this matter will be provided in due course.
Key Highlights:
- Action Peoples Party (APP) withdraws its petition against Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election.
- Counsel to APP cites legal grounds for the withdrawal, leading to the court’s dismissal of the petition.
- Tinubu’s legal team and the All Progressives Congress (APC) commend APP’s decision, urging other petitioners to follow suit.
