In a decision that came down on Wednesday, the Presidential Elections Petition Tribunal (PEPT) upheld Bola Tinubu’s election as Nigeria’s president earlier this year.

A panel of appellate court judges resolved petitions submitted by Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), calling for the annulment of Mr Tinubu’s victory.

The tribunal, led by Haruna Tsammani, delivered the judgement Wednesday evening in a courthouse packed with political stalwarts, including cabinet officials Vice President Kashim Shettima, Festus Keyamo, Femi Gbajabiamila and opposition governors like Bala Mohammed of Bauchi.

“This petition accordingly lacks merit. I affirm the return of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the duly elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The parties are to bear their cost,” Mr Tsammani ruled at about 9:00 p.m. after addressing all issues of aggrieved contenders.

Security across the Nigerian capital Abuja was fortified ahead of the decision at the Court of Appeal Headquarters in the city centre.

Mr Shettima, whose nomination was challenged as invalid by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), was excited after the court said he was validly nominated, celebrating alongside Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who chairs the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Mr Tinubu was absent in court on an official trip to a summit in India, as were petitioners Messrs Obi and Atiku, whose whereabouts were not immediately clear.

Some of the allegations raised involved overvoting, compulsory 25 per cent in the FCT, invalid nomination of Mr Shettima as Mr Tinubu’s running mate, perjury charges on the account of Mr Tinubu’s false claim under oath that he did not obtain a foreign citizenship, and so on.

The judges said they could not find evidence of gross ballot rigging and non-compliance with electoral guidelines. They also expunged all evidence against Mr Tinubu on the invalid nomination of his running mate and his perjury to the electoral commission, saying they were not appropriately filed.

Petitioners are expected to escalate the matter to the Supreme Court to review the tribunal’s judgement for a final verdict.