Petition challenging Buhari’s victory withdrawn

One of four petitions challenging the victory of Nigeria president Muhammadu Buhari during the 2019 presidential election has been withdrawn.

The petitioner, Coalition for Change, requested withdrawal of the case through its lawyer, Obed Agwu, at the resumed hearing before the presidential election tribunal on Monday.

The withdrawal was not opposed by lawyers of President Buhari, the All Progressives Congress and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Justice Mohammed Garba-led panel of the tribunal subsequently dismissed the petition.

The dismissal of the petition means there are only three petitions including that of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar against Buhari’s victory at the poll.

Buhari was declared the winner of the presidential election February 27 and was inaugurated for a second tenure as Nigeria president at the Eagle Square, Abuja on May 29.

Abubakar, a former ally of President Buhari, led a motley pack of challengers, most of whom posed no serious obstacle to Buhari’s re-election.

INEC chairman Prof Mahmood Yakubu in February said Buhari polled 15, 191, 847 votes while Abubakar, a former Nigerian vice president between 1999 and 2007, got 11, 262, 978 votes.

But Abubakar claimed the election was ‘massively rigged’ to hand Buhari a second term in office.