Nearly 90 SANs line up for Tinubu (50), Atiku (19), Obi (20)
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
A total 89 Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) have lined up to defend Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, and Peter Obi in the election dispute now before the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal domiciled in the Court of Appeal.
Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is said to be on 50 SANs, Atiku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 19, and Obi of the Labour Party (LP) 20.
Sources in the parties said the slew of legal luminaries, drawn from different chambers, is being furnished with materials that could be tendered as evidence in court.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on March 1 declared Tinubu winner of the ballot with 8,794,726 votes, followed by Atiku (6, 984, 520), and Obi (6,101,533).
Atiku and Obi rejected the result, both claiming the election process violated the law and was laced with violence and unprecedented rigging.
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The array of SANs
Atiku announced on Wednesday he has assembled 19 SANs to “establish the claim of illegality in the February 25 presidential election and reclaim the mandate of the Nigerian people.”
Per reporting by The PUNCH, Atiku’s Media Aide Phrank Shaibu, clarified that “Atiku raised a team of 19 Senior Advocates of Nigeria. You [Tinubu] claimed you won election, yet you gather 50 lawyers; what are you gathering them for?
“It is imperative that they work assiduously towards reclaiming the mandate, not necessarily because of him [Atiku] and the PDP, but to strengthen democracy and the electoral process and for generations unborn.”
LP National Secretary Umar Farouk told The PUNCH: “We have more than 20 SANs that are willing to participate and offer their services for the renewal and emergence of a new Nigeria. As I am talking to you, our lawyers are working on it.
“But this is not something we can discuss on the pages of a newspaper. All I can tell you is that we have started ‘trekking’ to the court.”
On Tuesday, the APC announced the appointment of a team of experienced lawyers to defend Tinubu.
The legal team comprises 12 SANs, including APC National Legal Adviser Ahmad El-Marzuq.
But APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) disclosed the 12 SANs do not reflect all the lawyers who volunteered to defend Tinubu.
APC PCC Director of Media and Publicity Bayo Onanuga confirmed the total number of lawyers on their side has risen to 50, among them Wole Olaonipekun, SAN and PCC counsel Babatunde Ogala, SAN.
