Barrister Bolanle Cole, a human rights lawyer and political scientist, has shed light on the reason why the amounts paid by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Peter Gregory Obi for their petitions filed against the ruling All Progressives Congress differed....CONTINUE READING
The petitions were filed following the outcome of the February 25th Presidential and National Assembly elections in Nigeria. The opposition parties, majorly the People’s Democratic Party and the Labour Party, were not pleased with the results and felt the urge to challenge the victory by taking a legal process.
The two presidential candidates made a formal move to challenge Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s victory by filing a petition calling for his votes that declared him the winner and President-Elect to be nullified.
However, the two petitions generated mixed reactions from people noting the difference in the amount of money paid. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar paid a sum of N12,430, while Peter Gregory Obi paid a sum of N5,430.
Barrister Bolanle Cole clarified that the reason behind the disparity was due to the number of exhibits attached to the petition. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s petition had more evidence tagged exhibits than Peter Obi’s petition. This means that the amount paid was determined by the weight of evidence presented in each petition.
