Election Tribunal: Two things court told LP’s Obi
The presidential election petition tribunal has delivered its much anticipated judgement on Wednesday amidst a very tight security at the premises of the Court of Appeal in Abuja.
Labour Party’s Peter Obi had approached the court after the Independent National Electoral Commission said that Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress won the poll in February, 2023.
Mr. Peter Obi wanted the court to adjudicate on the status of the Federal Capital Territory if winning it is a prerequisite. The Labour Party won the territory convincingly and Peter Obi believed that it’s wrong for the INEC to declare Tinubu, who lost the FCT as the winner of the election.
The court however told the plaintiff and petitioner in the matter that the capital territory doesn’t have a higher status than the other 36 states of the federation. Hence, it is not compulsory to win the area as a matter of fact. The court hitherto threw out the argument.
Mr. Peter Obi also pointed to the double nominations of Mr. Kashim Shettima, the running mate of Bola Tinubu on the platform of the All Progressives Congress. The Labour Party had argued before the court that Shettima had a nomination as a senatorial candidate from Borno State.
The plaintiff wanted the court to declare Shettima unfit to run for the presidential villa. That could have affected Bola Tinubu as well. But the court replied that the issue of double nominations has been settled and that it’s a pre-election matter. So, the court three the issue out.
The tribunal also dismissed the reports of the European Union which the Labour Party and its presidential candidate presented to the court. The court said that close to 200,000 result sheets that Obi rendered were blurred. Hence, they were not suitable for the case.
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