One of the 12 senior advocates of Nigeria, (SANs), listed as a member of
the All Progressives Congress (APC) legal team to defend the mandate of its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, in the just concluded polls has declined the appointment.
Pius Akubo, SAN, known for successfully prosecuting several governorship election petitions in the past in a short statement the legal luminary personally signed on Wednesday said he had no prior knowledge of the said appointment.
Part of the Statement reads "as a matter of fact, I have not received any official communication on the subject matter hitherto. Suffice it to say that I was taken by surprise to hear of the said appointment vide social media".
He concluded the statement by saying "In the circumstance, and for personal reasons, I hereby decline the said appointment."
The APC had earlier constituted the party's "legal team consisting of twelve (12) Senior Advocates of Nigeria and the National Legal Adviser of the Party, Ahmad Usman El-Marzuq, Esq., is led by Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, a renowned lawyer who has successfully handled various high-profile election matters and other landmark cases.”
Other members on the list are Ahmad Usman El-Marzuq, Sam Ologunorisa, Rotimi Oguneso, Olabisi Soyebo, Gboyega Oyewole, Muritala Abdulrasheed, Aliyu Omezia Saiki, Tajudeen Oladoja, Pius Akubo(Who has declined the appointment), Oluseye Opasanya, Suraju Saida and Kazeem Adeniyi.
The party said it is “confident that the legal team possesses requisite expertise and experience to ensure a successful outcome for the APC in the Presidential Election Petition matters”.