Why has Supreme Court refused to release Certified True Copies to Peter Obi’s LP?
It’s now one month and two days since the apex court determined the matter which Peter Obi and his Labour Party brought before it over the 2023 presidential election. The two appealed the decision of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, which dismissed the petition filed by them.
Peter Obi and his Labour Party came third in the 2023 presidential election behind the winner of the poll, Bola Tinubu (APC) and the first runnerup Atiku Abubakar (PDP). Obi and his party had asked the court to upturn the decision of the court below and declare them as the winner of the keenly contested election.
The Supreme Court argued that the appeal lacked merit and hitherto dismissed it. The ex Anambra State governor had requested the certified true copies of the judgement from the court. After a month, the document has not been given to the appellants in the suit.
National Secretary of Labour Party, Umar Farouk Ibrahim said that they have requested for the copies. The Supreme Court sat and decided the matter on 26 October.
The secretary said, “The Supreme Court issued a hearing notice dated 25th October 2023, notifying the Labour Party (LP) and its candidate in the Presidential Election, Mr Peter Obi, that judgment would be delivered in their appeal to the Supreme Court in Appeal No. SC/CV/937/2023 on Thursday, 26th October, 2023.
“On the 26th of October, 2023, LP and her lawyers were in Court. The Supreme Court proceeded to read the judgment in Appeal No. SC/CV/935/2023 filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). After that, the Presiding Justice, His Lordship John Inyang Okoro JSC, verbally stated that the decision in the LP appeal would abide by the judgment just delivered in respect of the PDP appeal!”
What could be delaying the release of the documents to the parties in the matter? It’s crystal clear that neither Peter Obi nor Labour Party could file any appeal. Supreme Court remains the last court of arbitration. Then, there isn’t any need to worry about what Obi and LP intend to do with the docum.
What could then be the reason? The Court of Appeal which sat on the electoral matter of Kano State has released its certified true copies to all the parties. Though the copies were fraught with errors, yet they are out there for all to see.
Follow us on social media
