NIGERIAN SUPREME COURT FOCUSES ON ELECTIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 002124 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/W, INR/AA DOE FOR GEORGE PERSON E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/28/2018 TAGS: KDEM PGOV NI SUBJECT: NIGERIAN SUPREME COURT FOCUSES ON ELECTIONS APPEAL, SUSPENDS OTHER DELIBERATIONS REF: A. ABUJA 2119 ¶B. ABUJA 2103 ¶C. ABUJA 1933 Classified By: Political Counselor Walter Pflaumer for reasons 1.4. (b & d). ¶1. (C) On October 28 Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, a lead counsel on Yar'Adua's legal team, called PolAssistant. Turaki said that according to reports his office has received, the Supreme Court Justices are suspending deliberations on all other cases to focus on completing their judgment on the appeal case of presidential candidates Mohammadu Buhari (ANPP) and Atiku Abubakar (AC) against the ruling of the Electoral Tribunal (a panel of Appeal Court Judges) upholding the April 2007 election of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua. Turaki opined that as a result the Justices may announce their decision sooner than previously expected. ¶2. (C) Comment: Turaki, who is a long-standing contact of this Mission, did not share with PolAssistant from whom he heard this news, although we believe he would not have passed it on had it not come from a credible source connected with the Supreme Court. "Sooner than previously expected" still does not give us a date, and would not be inconsistent with the late November-early December timeframe put forward by FonMin Maduekwe to the Ambassador on October 27(ref A),ANPP National Campaign Secretary for Buhari, Buba Galadima (ref C),and confidante of Atiku, Alhaji Zango (ref C). End Comment. ¶3. (U) This cable coordinated with Consulate Lagos. Sanders