INEC Had A Good Reason For Declaring Tinubu Winner, Despite Receiving Only 19% Votes In FCT – Femi Falana (SAN)

Human rights activist and legal scholar Femi Falana (SAN) has proclaimed that the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja is on par with the rest of Nigeria.  Continue Reading>>>

According to the Senior Advocate of Nigeria, despite the FCT being treated as a 37th state, it is on par with the rest of Nigeria’s states.

Falana declared that he would not comment on the case before the court, citing Section 134 of the 1999 Constitution.

He asserted that all votes cast or recorded in Nigeria are equal because “I did state that there is no electoral college in Nigeria.” A candidate for president must meet specific requirements outlined in Section 134 of the Constitution.  Continue Reading>>>

According to Falana, the first question is if a candidate earned a majority of valid votes, and the second is whether he or she received support from a majority of states and the Federal Capital Territory.

I didn’t think there was anything provocative to say when I presented my opinion because “the FCT has been interpreted to be a 37th state in Nigeria for the purposes of the constitution.”

Remember that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Tinubu, the APC’s nominee in the February 25 presidential election, the winner on March 1.

Tinubu received 8,794,726 votes, Atiku received 6,984,520 votes, and Obi finished third with 6,101,533 votes, according to INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu.

The Independent National Electoral Commission pronounced Tinubu the winner despite receiving only about 19% of the votes polled in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The election umpire determined that the APC presidential candidate in Nigeria did not need to receive more than 25% of the vote in the Federal Capital Territory in order to be proclaimed the winner.

Tinubu “has satisfied the constitutional requirement to be declared winner of the presidential election,” INEC stated in its statement of Tinubu’s election victory, “thus rendering the requirement of having 25% of the valid votes cast in Federal Capital Territory unnecessary.”

INEC stated that its declaration and return of Tinubu “was not wrongful” because he won more over 25% of legitimate votes cast in 29 states (the constitutional requirement for declaration).

According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, is awarded statehood under Nigeria’s constitution and “should be recognised as one of the states of the federation.”