The All Progressives Congress (APC) has named 12 Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to defend its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, in the recently concluded elections.
Tinubu received 8,794,726 votes in 12 of Nigeria’s 36 states, nearly two million more than his nearest rival, Peoples Democratic Party former Vice President Atiku Abubakar (PDP).
While Atiku finished second with 6,984,520 votes, Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) finished third with 6,101,533. Both Atiku and Obi have declared that the election results will be challenged in court.
However, the ruling party has stated that it is willing to meet with the parties in court. The party’s National Legal Adviser, Ahmad Usman El-Marzuq, released the 13-man list, which included 12 senior advocates, in a statement on Tuesday.
Wole Olanipekun, a legal legend who also serves as the ruling party’s lead counsel at the Presidential Election Tribunal, is at the top of the list.
“The All Progressives Congress (APC) has appointed a team of highly qualified and experienced lawyers to represent the Party at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal,” the statement read.
“The team is comprised of legal luminaries with vast experience in election petition matters, constitutional law, and litigation.
“The legal team consisting of twelve (12) Senior Advocates of Nigeria and the National Legal Adviser of the Party, Ahmad Usman El-Marzuq, Esq., is led by Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, a renowned lawyer who has successfully handled various high-profile election matters and other landmark cases.”
Ahmad Usman El-Marzuq, Sam Ologunorisa, Rotimi Oguneso, Olabisi Soyebo, Gboyega Oyewole, Muritala Abdulrasheed, Aliyu Omezia Saiki, Tajudeen Oladoja, Pius Akubo, Oluseye Opasanya, Suraju Saida, and Kazeem Adeniyi are also among those on the list.
The APC is “confident that the legal team possesses the necessary expertise and experience to ensure the APC’s success in the Presidential Election Petition matters.”
It also urged party members to join the team in defending the will and mandate of the people, and urged all parties involved to conduct themselves with professionalism and respect for the rule of law throughout the legal process.
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