Tribunal verdict will favour Tinubu, APC chieftain boasts

A member of the All Progressives Congress National Working Committee, Tolu Bankole, has expressed strong conviction that the outcome of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal slated for Wednesday will be in favour of President Bola Tinubu.

Bankole’s vote of confidence was a reaction to viral reports in the media that pressure was being mounted on the judges to disqualify the president.

The five judges that will deliver the verdict are the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Haruna Tsammani; Justice Stephen Adah of the Court of Appeal (Asaba Division); Justice Monsurat Bolaji-Yusuf, Court of Appeal (Asaba); Justices Moses Ugo (Kano) and Abba Mohammed of the Ibadan Division of the Court of Appeal.

Recall that the tribunal had earlier announced that it will on Wednesday, deliver judgment on the petitions challenging the declaration of Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 presidential election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

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In a similar vein, the military and the police have warned that they will not condone any unlawful act by troublemakers on the day of the ruling.

According to Bankole in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, there is no cause for alarm.

The APC chieftain boasted that media frenzy and alleged threats being issued to judges will not stop the judiciary from reaffirming Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 presidential election.

He said, “In view of the current media and social media pressure and in some cases propaganda by some alarmists in the country as it relates to the would-be outcome of the presidential election tribunal, I am more than confident that the judgment will be resoundingly in favour of our dear president, H.E Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This is borne out of facts from the case, which was canvased by both the plaintiffs and defendants before the Presidential Elections Petitions Tribunal in Abuja.

“In my opinion, it is evidently clear that the grounds of the petitions against our dear president lack merit, is frivolous, a waste of time and pure academic exercise. Nigeria’s judiciary has always shown to be above board, incorruptible and not one to be bullied by sore losers and their keypad warriors, and tomorrow’s verdict will not be an exemption.

“The 100 days of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in office showed clearly that the president has the capacity and character to deliver on his renewed hope mandate to alleviate endemic poverty, create jobs and make Nigeria a prosperous nation.

“The beauty of participatory democracy is that there is always another opportunity to contest. The next national election is in 2027. Instead of cyberstalking and threatening to make the country ungovernable, the losers should go and try again. I appeal to all Nigerians to be calm and patient. Tomorrow is great.”