Published 8th May, 2023

By Tola Owoyele

On Monday, the presidential election petitions tribunal commenced hearing on the various petitions challenging the victory of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria’s president-elect and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the just concluded presidential election.

Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, the other two frontline presidential candidates, who have since rejected the outcome of the polls, are the major challengers at the tribunal.

Here are the five appeal court justices expected to preside over the various petitions:

HARUNA SIMON TSAMMANI

Justice Tsammani one of the judges at the presidential election petition — Justice Tsammani

Born on November 23, 1959, Tsammani obtained his LL.B degree from the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Kaduna State, in 1982.

He is from the Tafawa Balewa Local Government area of Bauchi State.

After serving as a judge of the Bauchi State High Court between 1998 and 2010, he was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2010.

In a somewhat controversial ruling in 2021, Tsammani chaired a three-man Court of Appeal panel that ordered Lagos and Rivers State governments to stop the collection of Value Added tax (VAT) in their states.

Tsammani also suspended the operation of the law passed by the Rivers State House of Assembly and assented to by Nyesom Wike, the governor of the state, during the ruling.

The judgement, which was ultimately in favour of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the federal government, generated a controversy and criticism.

Presently, Tsammani is the Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, and will lead the panel of justices that are expected to preside over matters at the tribunal.

STEPHEN ADAH

Stephen Adah was born on June13, 1957. He hails from the Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State. He is the presiding Justice of the Asaba Division of the Court of Appeal.

Stephen Adah has been an Appeal Court judge since November 2012. Before this, he was a Federal High Court judge for 14 years.

On December 16, 2020, Adah led a three-man appeal court panel that set aside the indictments delivered against Sambo Dasuki, a former National Security Adviser, by Federal High Court in Abuja.

In an unanimous decision, the Adah-led panel held that the Federal High Court made damaging comments against Dasuki without giving him a fair hearing.

The panel then ordered a fresh trial of the case.

Prior to this, Dasuki had been accused and subsequently arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) for allegedly stealing $2.1 billion while serving as a security adviser during the Goodluck Jonathan government.

A fresh case eventually began in May 2022.

Adah is expected to work as a member of the five-man panel of judges at the tribunal.

MISTURAT BOLAJI-YUSUF

Mistura Bolaji-Yusuf was born on August 7, 1959. She hails from the Oyo West Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Bolaji-Yusuf obtained her LL.B degree from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, in 1983. She attended the Nigerian Law School the following year for her BL Certificate.

Bolaji-Yusuf was a Judge of the High Court of Oyo State for 17 years before her eventual elevation to a Court of Appeal judge on March 24, 2014.

She was on the panel of appeal court judges that ruled in favour of candidates of the Obaseki faction of the Edo State PDP that participated in the just concluded 2023 elections.

BOLOUKUOROMO MOSES UGO

Boloukuoromo Moses Ugo was born on June 7, 1965. He hails from the Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. He obtained his LL.B degree from the University of Calabar in 1989.

He was appointed a judge of the High Court of Bayelsa State on March 21, 2006, and later elevated to the Court of Appeal on March 24, 2014, same day as Bolaji-Yusuf.

He is ranked 44th on the roll call of the Court of Appeal.

ABBA BELLO MOHAMMED

Abba Bello Mohammed was born on February 19, 1961. Mohammed obtained his LL.B degree from the Institute of Administration, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, in 1984. A year later, he received his BL certificate at the Nigerian Law School in Lagos.

He is a Kano State native.

He became a judge at the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 15, 2010. He later became a Court of Appeal judge on June 28, 2021.

He is ranked 71st on the roll call of the Court of Appeal.

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