The Labour Party’s candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, made an assertive move in his pursuit of justice at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) in Abuja, submitting additional presidential election results from eight Nigerian states.
On Monday, results from Ebonyi, Nasarawa, Delta, Kaduna, Imo, Ondo, Sokoto, and Kogi were acknowledged by the Justice Haruna Tsammani-led five-member panel.
This development comes amidst Obi’s challenge against the presidential election held on February 25, which declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), President Bola Tinubu, the victor.
“Justice Tsammani-led panel admitted in evidence as Exhibits PS 1 to PR 25, results from 25 LGAs in Delta state, just as results of the election from 23 LGAs in Kaduna state were marked as Exhibits PS 1 to PS 23.”
In this ongoing battle, Obi, who clinched third place in the election, alleges that the outcome was manipulated against him. On the same note, he affirmed his intention to furnish the court with more evidence to corroborate his claims in the subsequent hearing.
Earlier, Obi’s counsel, Mr. Patrick Ikweto, SAN, tendered an apology for late submissions and pledged punctuality henceforth. Simultaneously, APC’s counsel, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, raised concerns about the timing of the fresh schedule’s submission, calling for stricter adherence to the pre-hearing report.
“My lords, this is not the first or second time that we will get to court and be given a fresh schedule by the petitioners in respect of some states. I want to submit with respect that the time has come for your lordships to apply the pre-hearing report strictly.” – Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN
Amidst this heated exchange, the Presidential Election Petition Court adjourned the hearing till Tuesday.
Allegations and Expectations
Primarily, Obi, along with the Labour Party, asserts that President Tinubu was not the valid winner of the election. Furthermore, they claim that at the time of Tinubu’s running mate, Shettima, being chosen as the Vice Presidential candidate, he was the nominated candidate of the APC for the Borno Central Senatorial election. This seeming contradiction further complicated the election outcome.
The petitioners argue that the election was marred by corrupt practices and non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022. They posit that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) flouted its own Regulations and Guidelines.
“They are, therefore, praying the court to among other things, declare that all the votes recorded for Tinubu and the APC, were wasted votes owing to his non-qualification/disqualification.”
The Road Ahead
In a bold move, the petitioners have urged the court to order the cancellation of the election and mandate INEC to conduct a fresh election. The significant stipulation is that in this proposed fresh election, Tinubu, Shettima, and the APC should not be allowed to participate. They claim that Tinubu’s return as the winner of the presidential election was unlawful, unconstitutional, and of no effect.
The court proceedings continue on Tuesday, with the entire nation, including followers of mandynews.com, awaiting further developments in this riveting political saga.
The future course of Nigerian politics may well be decided in the courtroom in the coming days.
Stay tuned for the latest updates and comprehensive coverage on the tribunal case and more, only on mandynews.com.
