Senior Lawyer Says ‘Abuja Has No Special Electoral Value’, Insists ‘If Tinubu Had Got 2/3 In 36 States And Failed To Win FCT, He Still Won The Election’

 

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Robert Clark, has addressed the controversy surrounding the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 Presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Clark stated that the argument that Tinubu should not have been declared the winner because he did not receive 25% of the votes in Abuja is baseless.

Clark argued that Tinubu would have still won the election if he had obtained two-thirds of the votes in all the 36 states of the country, irrespective of his performance in Abuja.

He added that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has no special electoral value as it is not different from any other state in Nigeria. Therefore, denying Tinubu the victory based on his performance in Abuja does not make sense.

Clark also dismissed the Labour Party’s claim that Tinubu cannot be declared the winner unless he received two-thirds of the votes in the 36 states and the FCT.

He pointed out that the constitution only requires two-thirds of the votes in the 36 states, and the FCT is not specifically mentioned.

AHe added that the word ‘and’ used in the constitution should not be interpreted to mean the FCT is a separate entity from the 36 states.