Supreme Court Says 1999 Constitution Did Not Mandate 25% Votes In FCT To Win Presidential Poll

The Supreme Court has said that the 1999 Constitution never intended that a politician cannot be president if he or she wins in the majority of states but fails to get 25 per cent of votes from the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

Justice Inyang Okoro gave the verdict on one of the grounds filed by Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) which insisted that a majority of lawful votes in 2/3 of the country, including the FCT was mandatory for winning the presidential seat.

But Justice Okoro held that lawyers should have interpreted the Constitution as a whole and not narrowly.

He agreed with the Presidential Election Petition Court that the FCT should be treated as if it were special.