By Ayo Yusuf
Barely one hour after the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal dismissed the case of the Allied People’s Movement against the victory of President Bola Tinubu at the February 25 election, the court has begun delivering its judgment on the petition by Peter Obi and the Labour Party challenging President Tinubu’s election.
Mr. Obi, a former Anambra State governor and his party, LP, are challenging Tinubu’s victory in the February 25, 2023, presidential election.
A member of the tribunal’s five-member panel, Justice Abba Mohammed, is presently reading the lead judgment.
He started with some preliminary motions challenging the competence of some aspects of the petition.
Obi and LP are complainants in the petition marked CA/PEPC/03/2023, challenging the election which brought Tinubu to power on May 29.
Respondents in the petition are the Independent National Electoral Commission, President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima and All Progressives Congress.
Justice Mohammed noted that the petitioners made allegations of irregularities and had promised to rely on spreadsheets, inspection reports and forensic analysis filed with the petition during trial.
But Mr. Mohammed said the documents promised by the petitioners were not attached to the petition or served on the respondents.
The court however faults the respondents’ argument challenging Mr. Obi’s membership of the Labour Party.
Mr Mohammed said only a political party can determine who its members are, and that no other person or entity can probe into it.
The court also dismissed the respondents’ objection which faulted the Labour Party’s petition on the grounds that it failed to join Atiku Abubakar who came second in the election.
Justice Mohammed said a petitioner was only obligated to join the person and the political party who won the election and the commission who conducted the election as parties to his petition.
Details later…
