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BREAKING: Supreme Court Dismisses Atiku, Obi’s Appeals, Affirms Tinubu As President

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the February 25 presidential election.
The apex court in its ruling dismissed the appeals by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar and his Labour Party (LP) counterpart Peter Obi.
A seven-judge panel ruled as without merit the opposition appeals over claims of fraud, electoral law violations, and Tinubu’s ineligibility to run for president.
The apex court thrashed all the grounds of appeal of Atiku and PDP on qualification, non-compliance with the Electoral Act, the 25% votes in FCT, and electoral malpractices.
“On the whole, having resolved all the issues against the appellant, it is my view that there is no merit in the appeal and it is hereby dismissed,” Justice Inyang Okoro said in dismissing Atiku’s appeal.
“The judgment of the court below delivered on September 6th, 2023 affirming the election of the second respondent as the duly elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is hereby affirmed.”
It listened to Obi’s appeal for about five minutes. In dealing with the LP’s presidential candidate on the issue of double nomination of Vice-President Kashim Shettima, the court held that the issue had been dealt with in its ruling on May 26.
“As for issue Number 4 which has to do with double nomination which was not in Atiku’s appeal, it is the view of this court that this issue having been dealt with by this court, this court cannot allow the matter to be re-litigated in this very court. There must be an end to litigation,” Justice Okoro held.
“For us to sit down now and talk about when this man resigned or did not resign when they did fresh primaries to replace him which we have done before, we are not going to do this again.
“This matter ought not to have come in. When this matter was pending at the trial court, this court delivered that judgment. If you read the judgment of the lower court, they mentioned that the Supreme Court has settled this matter and that should have been the end.
“You now bring this issue of double nomination for us to sit on it and write another judgment, this is not how it should be. This appeal lacks merit and is hereby dismissed.”
An election appeals court last month already rejected the two main opposition party petitions, including allegations of fraud, violations by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and claims Tinubu did not meet the constitutional requirements.
Along with its original claims, Atiku’s legal team had also sought to introduce new evidence, it claims shows Tinubu submitted a forged certificate from the Chicago State University as a qualification to the election commission when he applied to run for president.
Vowing an agenda of “Renewed Hope”, Tinubu took office in May and has quickly introduced reforms his government says will help grow Africa’s largest economy and attract more foreign investment.
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JUST IN: Senate shifts resumption to May 6

The leadership of the 10th Senate has announced a shift in the date of its resumption.
The earlier date for resumption was fixed for April 29, 2025.
However, the new date has been adjusted to May 6.
The announcement was contained in an internal memo dated April 20, 2025, addressed to all senators and signed by the Senate Clerk, Andrew Ogbonna Nwoba.
The postponement was hinged on the International Workers’ Day public holiday, which is celebrated on May 1 and for the lawmakers to take their time to attend to key constituency engagements.
The circular reads, “Distinguished Senators, I am directed to inform you that the resumption of plenary sittings of the Senate, earlier scheduled for Monday, 29th April 2025, has been rescheduled to Tuesday, 6th May 2025.
“This postponement is made to allow Distinguished Senators to stay with their constituents during the International Workers’ Day public holiday in the first week of May and to further enhance constituency engagements.
“Distinguished Senators are kindly requested to take note of this postponement while regretting any inconvenience the change might have caused.”
Recall that the Senate had on March 27 adjourned the plenary to allow lawmakers to observe the Easter and Eid-El-Fitr holidays.
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Judgment analysis: Report me to LPDC, Falana dares Wike

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has dared the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to report him to the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee over his (Falana’s) analysis of the Supreme Court judgment on the Rivers State politucal crisis.
Falana, in a statement on Sunday, titled “I Did Not Lie Against the Supreme Court of Nigeria,” accused Wike of trying in vain to incite the Supreme Court against him.
The SAN said contrary to Wike’s claim, he did not lie or misrepresent the Supreme Court’s decision concerning the defection of 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Falana dismissed Wike’s claims as “spurious and tendentious in every material particular,” accusing the minister of attempting to incite the apex court against him.
Wike had publicly criticised Falana during a press conference in Abuja, asserting that the senior lawyer misrepresented the Supreme Court’s ruling on Channels TV.
Wike said, “If someone of Femi Falana’s calibre can go on national television and lie, it’s very serious. Lies can cause a lot of crises.
”In response, Falana explained, “Mr. Wike subjected me to another scurrilous attack in a press conference, where he alleged that I lied about the defection status of certain legislators during my appearance on Channels TV.”
He added that the issue of the lawmakers’ defection was still pending before the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt when the Supreme Court made its ruling.
Falana clarified, “I did not lie against the Supreme Court in respect of the judgment in question.
All I said was that the matter of the defection of the 27 legislators was raised suo motu and determined by the eminent Justices of the apex court.
”He further asserted that there were video tapes and a sworn affidavit in which the lawmakers confirmed their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.
Falana emphasised that his right to criticise court judgments is protected by both the Nigerian Constitution and international human rights law.
“My fundamental right to criticise the decisions of courts is guaranteed by Section 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,” he said.
The SAN accused Wike of hypocrisy, pointing out that the minister has a history of attacking judges when rulings do not align with his political views.
Falana added, “Unlike Mr. Wike, who calls judges names whenever they disagree with his politics of opportunism, I have always criticised the judgments of domestic and regional courts with utmost decorum and in good faith.”
He referenced a famous statement by the late Justice Oputa in the Adegoke Motors Limited v. Dr. Babatunde Adesanya case: “We are final not because we are infallible; rather, we are infallible because we are final,” highlighting the judiciary’s openness to criticism.
Falana also quoted former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, who once said, “You have the responsibility of drawing our attention to where things are going wrong or on the verge of going wrong.
”Falana challenged Wike to take legal action if he believed Falana had breached professional conduct.
“Since he has become the unsolicited defender of the judiciary, I challenge him to report me to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee for professional misconduct,” Falana said.
On the issue of legislative defection, Falana warned that the Supreme Court’s recent stance—requiring proof of defection through a party’s membership register—could embolden “unpatriotic politicians to justify political prostitution in Nigeria.
”He urged the court to adhere to its earlier rulings, such as in Attorney-General of the Federation v. Abubakar and Abegunde v. Ondo State House of Assembly, where it ruled that legislators who defect automatically lose their seats.
Falana concluded that Wike’s attempts to discredit him had failed.
“It is indubitably clear that the allegation leveled against me by Mr. Wike is spurious… He has failed in his desperate bid to incite the Justices of the Supreme Court against me without any basis whatsoever.
”In a recent media outburst, Wike taunted Falana for losing a case he had won at the Supreme Court, dubbing him “a television lawyer.”
Falana chose not to engage with Wike’s comments at the time, stating, “Mr. Wike is the only life bencher in Nigeria who has never handled a case in any trial court or appellate court.
”Falana further added, “It is no crime if a lawyer loses a case in any court. Only a corrupt lawyer wins all cases in all courts.”
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Killings: Shettima visits Plateau today, Danjuma calls for self-defence

Amid renewed violence in Plateau and Benue states that has claimed over 100 lives in recent weeks, Vice President Kashim Shettima is expected to visit Plateau State today (Monday) as part of federal efforts to stem the tide of attacks and foster lasting peace.
The visit comes days after gunmen launched deadly attacks on Bokkos and Bassa communities in Plateau, attracting public outrage and deepening calls for urgent government intervention.
Confirming the Vice President’s visit, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda, disclosed during a tour of affected communities in Bassa on Saturday that Shettima’s visit was directed by President Bola Tinubu himself.
“Mr. President is deeply concerned about these killings. That is why the National Security Adviser was here last week, and now the Vice President is coming to engage stakeholders directly,” Yilwatda stated.
During his visit, Shettima is expected to convene a high-level stakeholders’ meeting aimed at enhancing security coordination and strengthening local peace initiatives.
The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, who also visited the communities with top military commanders, including Maj. Gen. Folusho Oyinlola, assured residents of the Federal Government’s commitment to justice and security.
“We are investigating seriously. We are on the trail of the perpetrators and, by God’s grace, they will be brought to justice,” Badaru said.
“Support programmes for victims, especially widows, have also been launched, and more help will come to ease their pain,” he added.
Meanwhile, a former Minister of Defence, Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (retd.), has once again called on Nigerians to rise and defend themselves.
Speaking at a public function in his hometown, Takum, Taraba State, Danjuma reiterated a warning he gave five years ago, arguing that relying solely on government security forces is no longer realistic.
“The warning I gave years ago remains valid. Nigerians must rise and defend themselves before these bandits overrun the entire country,” he said.
Danjuma expressed sorrow over the ongoing killings in Benue and Plateau states, describing them as evidence of the government’s failure to secure the lives and property of its citizens.
“We must be proactive. We cannot continue to watch helplessly while our people are massacred. Enough is enough,” he stressed.
Also, the Plateau Youth Council, Northern Zone, condemned the attacks as deliberate and genocidal, rather than communal clashes as claimed by federal officials.
Addressing journalists in Jos, PYC Northern Coordinator, Samson Chiroma, said, “These are not random clashes. These are systematic attempts to displace our people, coinciding with the beginning of the wet farming season.
This is genocide, plain and simple.”Chiroma accused Fulani militias of carrying out the attacks and faulted the Federal Government’s response as inadequate and detached from reality.
“If the authorities are serious about stopping these killings, they must start by arresting those making inciting statements. Otherwise, it will appear that some people are above the law,” he said.
He called for urgent reinforcement of Operation Rainbow, the state’s local security outfit, through recruitment and retooling to better protect vulnerable communities.
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