Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the Labour Party’s vice presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has challenged the widely held belief that the Supreme Court affirmed the victory of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President of Nigeria. According to Baba-Ahmed, the apex court’s decision merely upheld what he characterizes as an “illegality” declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Datti Baba-Ahmed made this assertion during an appearance as a guest on Arise TV on Monday evening, shortly after his superior, Peter Obi, addressed the press regarding the judicial proceedings following the election.
He emphasized that they do not recognize the Supreme Court’s judgment and do not regard it as a valid ruling.
Peter Obi had sought recourse to the Supreme Court to challenge the verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, which had upheld INEC’s declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the victor of the presidential election.
In its ruling, the Supreme Court upheld the findings of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, confirming Tinubu as the legitimately elected president.
“Please quote me on this: the Appeal and Supreme Courts did not affirm Tinubu’s presidency. They merely upheld the illegality of INEC’s declaration,” Datti Baba-Ahmed declared during the Arise TV interview. He further asserted, “We accepted the judgment because it was the last step for HE Peter Obi and I to take; we rejected and did not accept it as a valid judgment.”
