Three Ondo State born Senior lawyers namely; Eyitayo Jegede, Chief Olusola Oke and Remi Olatubora will be part of the legal teams of two of the presidential candidates in the just concluded presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
This is just Legal icon Wole Olanipekun and 49 other lawyers have offered to defend the victory of President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Election Tribunal.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and one-time President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is leading the team of legal giants.
The lawyers are waiting to be served with the petitions of the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi.
Both opposition candidates have registered their displeasure with the declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate as winner of the February 25 poll.
Tinubu got 8, 794,726 votes to beat Atiku and Obi to the second and third positions with 6,984,520 and 6,101,533 scores respectively.
But the first and second runners-up have sought leave of the tribunal to inspect some election materials used for the poll.
Members of the Tinubu legal team are to hold their preliminary meeting today in Lagos. They are to discuss some of the issues in the public domain which may be included in the petitions of the PDP and the LP.
There were indications that some PDP governors may join in the case before the tribunal to testify that the poll was free and fair in their states.
Investigations showed that some of the 50 SANs were said to have opted for free service to actualise Tinubu’s mandate.
It was learnt that a few of them joined the team based on the conviction that the presidential election was the “freest and fairest” in the country’s history with large-scale upsets.
Some of the senior lawyers in the vanguard of defending Tinubu’s mandate are a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Akin Olujimi, Yusuf Ali, Lateef Fagbemi, A.U. Mustapha, Ahmed Raji, Abiodun Owonikoko, Kemi Pinheiro, Niyi Akintola and H.M. Liman.
Others are: Taiwo Osipitan, Babatunde Ogala, Roland Otaru, James Onoja, Muiz Banire, Olusola Oke and a former Bauchi State Governor Mohammed Abubakar.
A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “Buoyed by patriotism and the need to protect the sanctity of the ballot, about 50 SANs have signed up to defend the mandate of Asiwaju Tinubu. The figure may be more in the next few days.
“Some of these legal giants have either not met with Tinubu or seeking any favour from him. They believe that the February 25 poll was credible and the best in the history of Nigeria.”
The source added: “In spite of the noise in the media, both Atiku and Obi have not served Tinubu and APC a copy of any petition before the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal.
“But the defence team of Tinubu will meet on Tuesday (today) in Lagos ahead of allowing Atiku and Obi to get their acts together.”
Section 130 (1, 2and 3) of the Electoral Act 2022 says: “ “No election and return at any election under this Act shall be questioned in any manner other than by a petition complaining of an undue election or undue return presented to the competent tribunal or court in accordance with the provisions of the constitution or of this Act and in which the person elected or returned is joined as a party.
“In this part, ‘tribunal’ means-(a) in the case of the presidential election, the Court of Appeal; and (b) in the case of any other elections under this Act, the election tribunal established under the Constitution or by this Act.
“The election tribunals shall-(a) be constituted not later than 30 days before the election; and (b) when constituted, open their registries for business seven days before the election.”
The members of the President-Elect’s legal team include:
Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN
Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN
Chief Akin Olujimi, SAN
Mallam Yusuf Ali, SAN
Emmanuel Ukala, SAN
Chief Afolabi Fashanu, SAN
Prof. Konyinsola Ajayi, SAN
Chief Niyi Akintola, SAN
Prof. Taiwo Osipitan, SAN
Tani Molajo, SAN
Tayo Oyetibo, SAN
Mike Igbokwe, SAN
Bayo Adelodun, SAN
Oladele Adesina, SAN
Oladipo Okpeseyi, SAN
Lawal Pedro SAN
Chukwuma Ekomaru, SAN
Olasupo Shasore SAN
Abiodun Owonikoko, SAN
Dr. Hassan Liman, SAN
Adesegun Ajibola, SAN
Solomon Umoh, SAN
Tunde Busari SAN
Prof. Dakas Dakas, SAN
Ogwu James Onoja SAN
Prof. J. Olukayode Olatoke, SAN
Chief Hakeem Afolabi, SAN
Dr. Muiz Banire, SAN
Oladapo Olanipekun, SAN
A.U Mustapha, SAN
Chief Yomi Aliyu, SAN
Olusola Oke, SAN
Kehinde Ogunwumiju, SAN
Bode Olanipekun SAN
Prof Lawan Yusufari SAN
Anthony Malik SAN
Babatunde Ogala, SAN
Funmi Quadri SAN
Remi Olatubora, SAN
Kunle Adegoke, SAN
Abdul Mohammed Rafindadi, SAN
Chief Anthony Adeniyi, SAN
Marcel Oru, SAN
M.A Abubakar, SAN Said Sanusi, SAN
Adebayo Mutalubi Ojo, SAN
Hanafin Mumin, SAN
Prince Lukman Fagbemi, SAN
Ahmad El-Marzuq, Esq.
Press Statement
ATIKU INAUGURATES LEGAL TEAM, CHARGES IT TO RECLAIM MANDATE AND STRENGTHEN DEMOCRACY
Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar on Tuesday inaugurated the legal team to challenge the controversial presidential election of February 25, 2023.
The PDP presidential candidate, while inaugurating the legal team at his campaign headquarters in Abuja, charged it to establish the claim of illegality in the February 25 presidential election and reclaim the mandate of the Nigerian people. Atiku told the team that apart from reclaiming the mandate from those who undertook the electoral heist that was not a reflection of the will of Nigerians, the legal team should also use the opportunity of the trial to strengthen constitutional democracy in the country.
Addressing the team headed by Chief J. K. Gadzama, SAN, at the conference room of his office at the campaign headquarters, Atiku said it was imperative that they work assiduously in reclaiming the mandate not necessarily because of him and the PDP but to strengthen democracy and the electoral process and for generations unborn.”
The members of the team include Chief Chris Uche (SAN), Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN), Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), Ken Mozia (SAN), Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), Mahmood Magaji (SAN), Joe Abraham (SAN), Mr Chukwuma Umeh (SAN), Dr. Garba Tetengi (SAN) and Chief Emeka Etiaba (SAN).
Others are Chief Goddy Uche (SAN), Prof. Maxwell Gidado (SAN); the National Legal Adviser of the PDP, A. K. Ajibade (SAN), Mr. O. M. Atoyebi, (SAN), Mrs. Nella Rabana (SAN), Paul Ogbole (SAN), Nuremi Jimoh (SAN), and Abdul Ibrahim (SAN).
