The Supreme Court declared that the attempt by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar to file fresh evidence against President Bola Tinubu would take Nigeria to the dark old days.
According to Justice John Okoro, the chairman of the seven-member panel that delivered the decision on Thursday, Atiku’s attempt would unduly prolong the case.
The former Vice-President has petitioned the Supreme Court over the authenticity of Tinubu’s certificate from Chicago State University (CSU) in order to dispute the president’s election.
But, in his judgement, Justice Okoro said that the apex court has no jurisdiction to accept fresh evidence.
Okoro said, “It will be unfortunate to go back to the dark old days when election petitions could be heard up to the point of expiration of the tenure of the person whose election was being challenged.”
He said Atiku’s attempt to introduce fresh evidence to extend the time to adjudicate the case
“Consequently, since the Presidential Election court has no jurisdiction to entertain fresh evidence, the Supreme Court has no jurisdiction to accept fresh evidence,” he added.