On Monday, Nigeria’s prominent opposition leader, Atiku Abubakar, said last week’s Supreme Court ruling certifying President Bola Tinubu’s election win would undermine faith in elections and urged for electoral law reform to promote transparency.
The highest court dismissed an appeal by Atiku and Peter Obi, who placed second and third, preventing any legal action against Tinubu, who claims he won adequately.
In his initial response to the judgment, Atiku warned reporters that it would cause “the erosion of trust in the electoral system and our democracy.”
He accused the judges of ignoring new evidence that Tinubu had used a fake university credential to contest, something the president rejected.
“My party and I are done with this phase. “I’m not leaving,” 76-year-old Atiku stated, suggesting he may not retire from politics.
Atiku, Nigeria’s former vice president from 1999 to 2007, suggested mandating electronic voting and requiring presidential candidates to win more than 50% of the vote.
A candidate can become president of Nigeria with a simple majority and 25% of the vote in three-quarters of the 36 states.
Before the Supreme Court ruling, presidential elections had been contested in court. Court attempts to reverse outcomes have failed.
