The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal has declared that President Muhammadu Buhari was qualified to contest and properly elected as president in the February 23 presidential polls.
In the lead judgement by Justice Mohammed Garba, the tribunal said that the plea of the petitioners that Buhari was not qualified to contest the presidential election could not be proved.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had approached the tribunal to upturn the election of Buhari and declare him winner in the election in which he scored about 11 million votes against over 15 million votes polled by Buhari.
The tribunal held that the evidence before the court shows that Buhari obtained the Cambridge West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate.
“I have no doubt in my mind that the petitioners have failed to prove that the second respondent does not possess the qualification to contest the election into the office of the President as stipulated in section 131, 137, 138 of the Constitution.
“The onus rests squarely on the petitioners to prove their assertion that Buhari does not possess the educational qualification to contest the election or that he submitted false information which is fundamental in nature to aid his qualification,” he said.
The tribunal also ruled that the petitioner’s claim that the transmission of results was done through a server is untrue.
The tribunal ruled that INEC’s manual did not provide electronic transmission of results and dismissed PDP’s claim of a central server.
The tribunal also said the petitioner did not call witnesses to give evidence of wrongdoing committed in the 11 focal states during the election.
The allegation should be proved beyond reasonable doubt and because it is criminal. Ward by ward evidence should have been given, the tribunal stated.
The allegations of violence, voter intimidation, kidnapping and massive thumb printing are criminal in nature and was not proved beyond reasonable doubt.
The tribunal therefore dismissed the petition.
MM/GIK/APA