Festus Keyamo, who served as minister of state under the administration of the immediate-past president, Muhammadu Buhari has returned to court as a lawyer.
Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and former spokesperson for Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, was sighted donning his legal robe as the Presidential Election Petition Court began sitting on Tuesday, May 30, 2023.
The former minister will be among other lawyers at the hearing to defend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Recall that Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi, and others had approached the tribunal to upturn Tinubu’s victory on the grounds of substantial non-compliance with the provisions of the Constitution, the Electoral Act, and the guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the conduct of the poll.
Atiku, a former vice president, who hinged his petition on five grounds, is asking the court to order the electoral body to conduct a fresh election following alleged irregularities at polling units during the presidential poll.
Obi, a former Anambra governor, is also alleging various irregularities in the conduct of the election, insisting that Tinubu and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, were not qualified to contest.
Meanwhile, Tinubu and his Vice, Kashim Shettima were sworn into office by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, at Eagles Square in Abuja on Monday, May 29, 2023.
He commended Atiku, Obi, and others’ efforts to challenge the election outcome, saying it showed that Nigeria’s democracy is becoming an example for other African countries and the world at large.
