Seven states withdraw their lawsuit challenging Tinubu’s victory.

Seven federation states that had petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the election victory of the President-elect Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, have withdrawn their case.

The states of Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Taraba, and Sokoto, led by Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, filed a notice of discontinuance of the case on Friday.

The plaintiffs had petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the results of the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections, claiming that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, violated the Electoral Act, 2022.

The plaintiffs claimed that INEC did not properly transmit and collate election results from the 36 federation states and the FCT, as required by the Electoral Act.

In the suit titled SC/CV/354/2023, the six states, which are currently under the control of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, also claimed that INEC pulled down its portal containing the Regulations and Guidelines it had previously set for the elections.

Consequently, they applied for an order of the apex court, mandating “a holistic review of all results so far announced by the Federal Government of Nigeria through the INEC which were carried out other than through the manner prescribed by the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022; and the INEC Manual for Election Officials”.

“A declaration that the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Independent National Electoral Commission, was obligated to electronically transmit or transfer Polling Unit Results.”

“A declaration that the entire results of the Presidential Election held on February 25th, 2023, as announced by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission at the National Collation Centre, Abuja, are in flagrant violation of Sections 25; 47(2); 60 (1), (2), (4) & (5); 62; 64(4)(a) & (b); 70; and 148 of the Electoral Act, 2022, governing the 2023 nationwide general elections, particularly paragraphs 38 of the INEC

In addition, an order was issued “directing a holistic review of all results so far announced.