The 2023 Nigeria Presidential Election was held on February 23, 2023. The election was a significant event for the country, as Nigerians voted to choose their next president for the next four years. However, the expectation of every Nigeria is 2023 Nigeria Presidential Election: Tribunal Judgement.
In an election where several political parties fielded candidates for the presidential election, and campaigns were held across the country in the months leading up to the election. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) oversaw the election process and ensured that it was conducted in their best capacity in a free and fair manner. Although, the opinion of many was that the elections were not fair enough. However, everyone is entitled to their opinions.
On the day of the election, Nigerians turned out in large numbers to cast their votes. The election was largely peaceful, although there were some reports of violence in a few locations. The results of the election were announced a few days later, and the candidate who received the highest number of votes was declared the winner and expected to be inaugurated as the new President of Nigeria.
Table of Contents
Winner Emerged At the First Ballot of 2023 Presidential Election
Presidential Candidates and their Parties of 2023 Election.
According to INEC 16 of the 18 registered political parties participated in the 2023 Presidential election which are tubulated as follows:
| S/N | Party Name | Party Acronym | Presidential Candidates |
| 1. | Accord | A | Professor Christopher Imumulen |
| 2. | Action Alliance | AA | ALMUSTAPHA HAMZA |
| 3. | Action Democratic Party | ADP | SANI YABAGI YUSUF |
| 4. | Action Peoples Party | APP | NNADI CHARLES OSITA |
| 5. | African Action Congress | AAC | Omoyele Sowore |
| 6. | African Democratic Congress | ADC | Dumebi Kachikwu |
| 7. | All Progressives Congress | APC | Asiwaju Bola Tinubu |
| 8. | All Progressives Grand Alliance | APGA | Professor Peter Umeadi |
| 9. | Allied Peoples Movement | APM | Yusuf Mamman Dan Talle |
| 10. | Boot Party | BP | ADENUGA SUNDAY OLUWAFEMI |
| 11. | Labour Party | LP | Mr Peter Obi |
| 12. | National Rescue Movement | NRM | OSAKWE FELIX JOHNSON |
| 13. | New Nigeria Peoples Party | NNPP | Mr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso |
| 14. | Peoples Democratic Party | PDP | Alhaji Atiku Abubakar |
| 15. | Peoples Redemption Party | PRP | Mr Kola Abiola |
| 16. | Social Democratic Party | SDP | Prince Adewole Adebayo |
| 17. | Young Progressive Party | YPP | Prince Malik Ado-Ibrahim |
| 18. | Zenith Labour Party | ZLP | NWANYANWU DANIEL DABERECHUKWU |
2023 Presidential Election Results Announced By INEC
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress, APC’s presidential candidate, was declared the election’s winner.
According to the results announced by INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, Tinubu received a total of 8,794,726 votes, beating out Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP, who received 6,984, 520 and 6,101,533 votes, respectively. While all of the political parties together received only 666,298 votes, Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigerian Peoples Party, or NNPP, received 1,496,687.
INEC stated that the former governor of Lagos State obtained the required 25% of the vote from 24 States, as required by the Electoral Act of 2022, as amended.
The First Presidential Election in Nigeria After Independence – 1979 Presidential Election
In the 1979 Nigerian Presidential Elections, a total of five political parties participated in the contest. These parties were:
- National Party of Nigeria (NPN)
- Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN)
- Great Nigeria People’s Party (GNPP)
- Nigerian People’s Party (NPP)
- People’s Redemption Party (PRP)
It is important to note that while these parties participated in the presidential election, some of them also fielded candidates for other elective positions such as governorships and legislative seats. The election was widely considered as a step towards democracy and civilian rule, as it marked the first time in over a decade that Nigerians had the opportunity to participate in a civilian-run presidential election.
The 1979 Presidential Elections of Nigeria were significant in the country’s history, as they marked the first time that Nigeria held a presidential election since gaining independence in 1960. The election was held on August 11, 1979, and it was the culmination of a series of political reforms aimed at transitioning the country from military rule to civilian democracy.
Several political parties contested the election, including the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), the Great Nigeria People’s Party (GNPP), and the Nigerian People’s Party (NPP). The campaigns were largely peaceful, and the election was widely viewed as free and fair.
In the end, the NPN emerged victorious, with its candidate, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, winning the presidential election. He defeated Chief Obafemi Awolowo of the UPN, who came in second place. The GNPP and the NPP also had significant support in some regions of the country.
Source: Nohlen Et Al
The 1979 Presidential Elections of Nigeria were significant in that they marked a shift towards democracy and civilian rule after years of military dictatorship. The election demonstrated that Nigerians were eager to participate in the democratic process and that they were willing to hold their leaders accountable through the ballot box. The election also set the stage for future presidential elections and the development of Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
The Tribunal verdict of 1979 Presidential Election
Chief Obafemi Awolowo
The 1979 Nigerian Presidential Election tribunal received a total of 224 petitions from political parties and candidates who contested the election. Out of this number, 41 were presidential election petitions, while the remaining 183 were for other elective positions such as governorships and legislative seats.
The petition by Chief Obafemi Awolowo of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), challenging the election of Alhaji Shehu Shagari of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), was the most high-profile of all the petitions. The UPN’s petition alleged widespread electoral malpractices and irregularities in some parts of the country.
However, in its verdict, the tribunal dismissed the petition brought by Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the UPN. The tribunal held that the petitioners had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the election was marred by widespread irregularities or that the results were significantly affected. As a result, Alhaji Shehu Shagari of the NPN was declared the winner of the election. 2023 Nigeria Presidential Election: Tribunal Judgement
The verdict of the tribunal was not without controversy, as some opposition parties and candidates accused the NPN of manipulating the electoral process to their advantage. Despite this, the verdict was widely accepted by Nigerians, and the country continued its transition towards democracy.
Alhaji Sheu Shagari
Key Points of the 1979 Election Tribunal
- The tribunal was made up of seven members, including a chairman and six other judges. It was set up by the Federal Military Government to review the election petitions.
- The tribunal sat for 30 days, starting from April 13, 1979, to May 12, 1979, to review the election petitions.
- In addition to the UPN’s petition challenging the election of Alhaji Shehu Shagari of the NPN, other high-profile petitions included those brought by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe of the Nigerian People’s Party (NPP), challenging the election of Governor Samuel Mbakwe of Imo State, and Chief Michael Ajasin of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), challenging the election of Chief Adekunle Ajasin as the Governor of Ondo State.
- The tribunal held its sittings in Lagos, with each petition being heard on its own merit.
- The tribunal’s verdict was announced on May 31, 1979, and it upheld the victory of Alhaji Shehu Shagari and the NPN. The tribunal’s decision was based on the grounds that the petitioners did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the election was marred by widespread irregularities or that the results were significantly affected.
- Despite the tribunal’s verdict, some opposition parties and candidates continued to challenge the results of the election, citing instances of electoral malpractices and irregularities. However, their efforts were largely unsuccessful, and Alhaji Shehu Shagari was sworn in as Nigeria’s first civilian president on October 1, 1979.
Supreme Court Judgment of the 1979 Presidential Election
After the Presidential Election Tribunal delivered its verdict on the 1979 presidential election, several opposition parties, including the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), the Nigerian People’s Party (NPP), and the Great Nigeria People’s Party (GNPP), filed appeals at the Supreme Court challenging the tribunal’s decision.
On September 26, 1979, the Supreme Court of Nigeria upheld the verdict of the presidential election tribunal, affirming Alhaji Shehu Shagari of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) as the duly elected president of Nigeria. The Supreme Court judges held that the petitioners failed to prove their cases beyond reasonable doubt and that the tribunal’s decision was based on sound legal principles.
In particular, the Supreme Court noted that the UPN’s petition, which challenged the election of Alhaji Shehu Shagari on grounds of alleged electoral irregularities, was not backed by sufficient evidence to prove that the irregularities were widespread and that the results of the election were substantially affected. The Supreme Court also dismissed the appeals filed by the NPP and GNPP, stating that the petitioners had failed to provide credible evidence to support their claims.
The Supreme Court’s ruling put to rest the controversy surrounding the 1979 presidential election, and paved the way for the smooth transition of power from the military to a civilian government. It also helped to establish a precedent for subsequent election petitions in Nigeria, emphasizing the importance of providing credible evidence to support any claims of electoral irregularities.
The judgment demonstrated the importance of an independent judiciary in upholding the rule of law and ensuring the integrity of democratic institutions. It also helped to strengthen Nigeria’s democratic process and set the stage for subsequent peaceful transitions of power.
2023 Nigeria Presidential Election: Tribunal Judgement
A panel of five justices will determine the outcome of the 2023 presidential election case.
The judges are:
Justice Haruna Tsammani
Born in Gombe State in 1959, Justice Haruna Tsammani attended Bayero University in Kano and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 1982. The Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria awarded him a Master of Laws.
As a Pupil State Counsel in the Ministry of Justice of Bauchi State in 1983, Justice Tsammani later transferred to the Ministry of Justice of Gombe State, where he served as Director of Public Prosecutions. He was appointed a judge of the Gombe State High Court in 1999.
Justice Stephen Adah
Justice Stephen Adah, who was born on June 13th, 1957, is a native of Kogi State’s Dekina Local Government Area. He serves as the Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal’s Asaba Division. Since November 2012, Justice Adah has presided as an appeals court judge. He spent 14 years as a judge on the Federal High Court prior to this.
Justice Mistura Bolaji-Yusuf
Mistura Bolaji-Yusuf is an Oyo State native who was born on August 7, 1959, and she is from the Oyo West Local Government Area. In 1983, she graduated with an LL.B. from Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife. The next year, she went to the Nigerian Law School to get her BL Certificate.
Before being elevated to a judge on the Court of Appeals on March 24, 2014, Bolaji-Yusuf spent 17 years as a judge of the High Court of Oyo State.
Justice Boloukuromo Thomas Ugo
Boloukuoromo Born on June 7, 1965, Moses Ugo. He is a native of Bayelsa State’s Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area. He graduated with an LL.B from the University of Calabar in 1989, and on March 21, 2006, he was appointed to the High Court of Bayelsa State. On March 24, 2014, he was promoted to the Court of Appeal. On the Court of Appeal’s roll call, he is listed as number 44.
Justice Abba-Bello Mohammed
The date of birth of Abba Bello Mohammed is February 19, 1961. In 1984, Mohammed earned his LL.B. from the Ahmadu Bello University’s Institute of Administration in Zaria, Kaduna State. He obtained his BL diploma from the Nigerian Law School in Lagos a year later. He was born in Kano State, and on July 15, 2010, he was appointed to the Federal High Court in Abuja. On June 28, 2021, he was later appointed as a Court of Appeal judge. On the Court of Appeal’s roll call, he is listed as number 71.
Vanguard Newspaper reported that there are about five petitions opposing the declaration of All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the nation’s next president which include Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), and the candidates of the Action Alliance (AA), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), and Action Peoples Party (APP) are among those calling for the annulment of Tinubu’s victory.
During the inaugural sitting of the court, the Presiding Judge, Justice Tsammani stressed in his opening remarks that the court would not accept time-wasting strategies and technicalities and urged attorneys for all petitioners to refrain from making dramatic remarks. He stated that “As we begin hearing the etitions, let us refrain from making sensational remarks,” he also stated that “let’s keep in mind that the country’s safety and interests come first.”
He further explained that “We should steer clear of pointless applications and objections to free up time for the case’s actual merits rather than pointless technicalities.
“Let us band together so that everyone can feel that justice has been served.”
In his response, the President-elect’s principal attorney, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, assured the court of the team’s full cooperation and stated that the matter needed to be resolved.
2023 Nigeria Presidential Election: Tribunal Judgement that the whole is waiting for.
To be continued.
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