ABUJA  (AFP) – The election tribunal Tuesday threw out an opposition petition seeking to nullify President Goodluck Jonathan’s victory in April 16 elections.

A panel of five judges unanimously ruled that Jonathan “won the election”, which had been labelled free by election observers.

Alleging electoral malpractices in parts of the country, the opposition Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) of former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, went to court seeking to overturn Jonathan’s win.

“The petition fails in its entirety and is hereby dismissed,” head of the presidential election tribunal Justice Kumai Akaahs said.

The CPC said it would appeal the judgment, which was handed down under tight security at the complex of Nigeria’s appeals court in the capital Abuja.

“We have judgment of the conscience, judgment of the people and judgment of God. We will certainly go on appeal,” CPC chairman Tony Momoh told reporters after the ruling was read out.

Jonathan was declared the winner of the election with 57 percent of the ballots, easily beating his closest rival Buhari’s 31 percent.

The court said Jonathan “scored the majority of lawful votes cast at the election and secured the mandatory one quarter of votes cast at the election in each of at least two third of all the states in the federation …”

The result of the election sparked rioting in northern Nigeria which left at least 800 people dead, according to Human Rights Watch.

Buhari, a Muslim from northern Nigeria, had dissociated himself from the rioting. Jonathan is a Christian from the south of the country.

Local and international observers adjudged the election fair and credible, marking significant improvements in a country with a long history of vote fraud.

Nigeria’s population of over 160 million is roughly divided in half between Muslims and Christians and includes some 250 ethnic groups. The north is mainly Muslim while the south is predominantly Christian.