Their appeal was made in a final address presented by their lead counsel, Wole Olanipekun, urging the tribunal to dismiss the petition filed by the Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Olanipekun criticised the arguments and testimonies presented by the petitioners as "frivolous, bogus and based on hearsay." He strongly urged the court to reject the petition on the grounds that it lacked merit and substance.
Specifically, he disputed the contention made by the petitioners that Tinubu and Shettima's election should be invalidated due to their failure to obtain 25 per cent of the votes in the FCT. Olanipekun argued that this claim was unsupported by any legal facts, highlighting that the use of "and" in the Constitution is conjunctive and not disjunctive.
Furthermore, Olanipekun emphasised that judges should not be regarded as oracles who engage in speculative prognostication. He stated that judges cannot perform miracles or fabricate evidence to assist a plaintiff in winning their case. This underscores the importance of relying on credible evidence and adhering to legal principles and procedures in the handling of civil claims.
The final decision on the petition and the fate of the February 25 presidential poll rests with the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, which will consider all the arguments and evidence presented before reaching a verdict.