A Nigerian tribunal upheld the 2007 election of President Umaru Yar'Adua today after rejecting challenges from rivals who said the vote was massively rigged.
The tribunal ruled that opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari, Mr Yar'Adua's main opponent, had failed to prove that violations of the electoral law were substantial enough to invalidate the president's victory.
The five-judge tribunal also rejected a challenge brought by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who came third in the election that local and international observers said was not credible because of widespread fraud.
The two challengers immediately said they would appeal to the Supreme Court, which could take several more months to deliver a final ruling.
Official results from the election on April 21st last year gave Mr Yar'Adua 24.6 million votes, compared with 6.6 million for Mr Buhari and 2.6 million for Mr Abubakar
"Umaru Yar'Adua and Goodluck Jonathan remain the president and vice-president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria," said Judge John Fabiyi, reaching the conclusion of a ruling that took more than three hours to deliver.