![Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu stands next to his predecessor Muhammadu Buhari, as he receives the new flags folded in a glass box, during his swearing-in ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria May 29, 2023. [Temilade Adelaja/Reuters]](https://diplomaticwatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-05-29T133320Z_1223093321_RC2B81AS2C4U_RTRMADP_3_NIGERIA-POLITICS-1685369773.jpg)
Nigeria’s presidential election tribunal on Wednesday dismissed challenges by opposition rivals to Bola Tinubu’s win in February’s disputed vote.
The five-member tribunal rejected the petitions of Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, who came second and third, respectively. The judges said the petitioners had not presented credible evidence to support their claims of irregularities.
Obi’s Labour Party rejected the ruling and said it would announce its next steps after a meeting with lawyers. Tinubu welcomed the ruling and urged his rivals and their supporters to support his government.
The ruling is unlikely to generate any particular euphoria or momentum for Tinubu, as the election was marked by record low turnout. Tinubu garnered just 8.79 million votes, the fewest of any president since the return to democracy.
Atiku and Obi can appeal the ruling to the country’s Supreme Court. Any appeal must be concluded within 60 days of the date of the tribunal’s judgment.
