The Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal today resolved the controversies surrounding the legal and electoral status of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja holding that the Federal Capital Territory does not hold a higher status than other states in Nigeria.
The head of the tribunal panel, Justice Haruna Tsammani, made this declaration today during the reading of judgments on petitions before the court regarding the presidential election.
He stated that Section 134 (1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) stipulates that a presidential candidate must attain or score a majority of votes cast in a presidential election, where two or more candidates are involved, and at least 25 percent in two-thirds of the 36 States and FCT to meet the constitutional requirement to be declared as duly elected as President of Nigeria.
The court position hereby rendered useless the argument that a presidential candidate must win in Abuja.
