Former Head of State Yakubu Gowon Advises Nigerians to Respect Judiciary's Decisions Ahead of Presidential Election Petition Tribunal

Yakubu Gowon

Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd), has advised Nigerians to respect the decisions of the court as final. The advice was given at a symposium held in honour of a former Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Chike Idigbe, on Thursday, ahead of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal hearing, which is scheduled to begin on Monday, May 8. Gowon emphasized the importance of allowing the judiciary to do its work without interference, as it plays a crucial role in the unity of the country.

Also present at the symposium were the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Alfa Belgore, the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, and some Senior Advocates of Nigeria. Their presence indicates the significance of the forthcoming tribunal hearing and the importance of respecting the judiciary's decisions.

The tribunal hearing follows the February 25 presidential election, in which the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, declared Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the President-Elect on March 1. The APC won the election by scoring the majority of votes cast, with 8.8 million votes, while Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 6.9 million votes, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) polled 6.1 million votes, among others.

However, Atiku and Obi are disputing the election results, and they have filed separate petitions seeking orders to annul the election or declare them the winners of the polls. The tribunal hearing is expected to determine the validity of their petitions.