The Supreme Court of Nigeria confirmed the victory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday, bringing an end to months of legal battles that followed the country’s February presidential election. The seven-member court, in a unanimous decision, rejected opposition claims of electoral fraud and breaches of electoral laws.

Tinubu was elected to his position in February when he claimed 37 percent of the vote. As a result, he narrowly edged out the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s (LP) Peter Obi. Abubakar and Obi then challenged the election results on the grounds that the election commission failed to digitally transmit results from polling stations. Additionally, they argued that Tinubu had not received the required 25 percent of the vote in the federal capital, Abuja, which they claimed disqualified him from the presidency.

The Supreme Court judges dismissed these arguments, however, asserting that the failure to transmit results digitally did not affect the overall integrity of the election. Furthermore, they upheld that Tinubu had indeed met the constitutional threshold by securing 25 percent of the vote in two-thirds of all 36 states and Abuja combined.

In response to the Supreme Court’s decision, the LP expressed its rejection of the court’s verdict and called on the international community to defend democracy in Nigeria. National Chairman of the LP Julius Abure expressed disappointment about the outcome, stating, “This is so unfortunate for our democracy, and it is even more for the people of Nigeria.”

Similarly, the PDP voiced its dismay over the Supreme Court’s decision. The party said the decision was contrary to the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution, the Electoral Act of 2022 and the guidelines and regulations issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the election. The PDP expressed its disappointment in the Supreme Court’s failure to uphold the rule of law and provide justice based on the laws and facts of the case.

Previously, in March, Abubakar censured the electoral process, describing it as “neither free nor fair” during a press conference. The EU Election Observation Mission also criticized the election for its lack of transparency and instances of interference and violence that hindered participation.