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Nigeria poll petitions dismissed | Nigeria poll petitions dismissed |
(20 minutes later) | |
A Nigerian tribunal has dismissed both opposition petitions asking that President Umaru Yar'Adua's election last year be annulled. | |
The panel of five judges unanimously rejected them, saying they did not contain enough evidence. | |
Lawyers for both losing presidential candidates, Muhammadu Buhari and Atiku Abubakar, say they will take their cases to the Supreme Court. | |
International observers said the April polls fell short of expected standards. | |
The 2007 polls saw the first transfer of power from one elected leader to another in Africa's biggest oil producer and most populous country. | The 2007 polls saw the first transfer of power from one elected leader to another in Africa's biggest oil producer and most populous country. |
From a political stability perspective, this is likely to be positive African economist Razia Khan | |
The BBC's Alex Last in Lagos says Nigeria courts have been exerting their independence - overturning other controversial results from the disputed elections. | The BBC's Alex Last in Lagos says Nigeria courts have been exerting their independence - overturning other controversial results from the disputed elections. |
This is in part because the president himself has made obeying of the rule of law his public mantra, he says. | This is in part because the president himself has made obeying of the rule of law his public mantra, he says. |
Security has been tight in the capital, Abuja, in the run-up to the ruling. | Security has been tight in the capital, Abuja, in the run-up to the ruling. |
Rigging claims | Rigging claims |
"Umaru Yar'Adua and Goodluck Jonathan remain validly elected as president and vice-president of Nigeria," the ruling said, AFP news agency reports. | |
The honeymoon ends | |
Judge Abdulkadir Abubakar Jega said both sides had failed to prove that violations of the electoral law were substantial enough to invalidate the election result. | |
"From a political stability perspective, this is likely to be positive," African economist Razia Khan told Reuters news agency. | |
Neither opposition candidates claim they actually won the election - they had called for a re-run. | |
Gen Buhari, who also contested the previous election in 2003 and is a former military ruler of Nigeria, maintains the ballot did not take place in 29 of the 31 states. | |
His lawyers had unearthed records from Nigeria's election regulator that appeared to show the results had been artificially inflated between the tallying station and being announced. | His lawyers had unearthed records from Nigeria's election regulator that appeared to show the results had been artificially inflated between the tallying station and being announced. |
Long battle | |
Mr Abubakar had said the vote should be nullified because the ballot papers were delivered on the day of the election and were missing serial numbers. | |
The former vice-president fought a long legal battle before the election to be included on the ballot after he fell out with then-President Olusegun Obasanjo in the latter stages of his final term. | The former vice-president fought a long legal battle before the election to be included on the ballot after he fell out with then-President Olusegun Obasanjo in the latter stages of his final term. |
The result was the ballot papers had to be re-printed at short notice in South Africa, the court has heard. | The result was the ballot papers had to be re-printed at short notice in South Africa, the court has heard. |
They did not reach polling stations in many parts of the country until after the election. | They did not reach polling stations in many parts of the country until after the election. |
The lack of serial numbers also rendered any result inadmissible, Mr Abubakar's lawyers claimed. | The lack of serial numbers also rendered any result inadmissible, Mr Abubakar's lawyers claimed. |
Before the ruling, his spokesman Garba Shehu said politicians could not be "trusted to correct themselves" and the courts had to do it. | |
The election was widely condemned in the press, but presidential spokesman Mobolanji Adebiyi said the judges would rule on what was in front of them, not on the media reports. | The election was widely condemned in the press, but presidential spokesman Mobolanji Adebiyi said the judges would rule on what was in front of them, not on the media reports. |
Seven state governors have had their elections overturned by tribunals. | Seven state governors have had their elections overturned by tribunals. |
On Saturday a court also annulled the election of Senate President David Mark. | On Saturday a court also annulled the election of Senate President David Mark. |
If the presidential election is annulled, he would have taken over during the 90-day period before fresh elections are required to be held. | If the presidential election is annulled, he would have taken over during the 90-day period before fresh elections are required to be held. |