The Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja has rejected the Labour Party’s and its candidate, Mr. Peter Obi’s, claim that the 2023 presidential election was rigged in favor of President Bola Tinubu. The court ruled that they didn’t provide credible evidence to support their allegations of corruption in the election. While they mentioned irregularities, they couldn’t specify where they occurred or provide locations for the alleged polling units.
Additionally, the court found no proof for Obi’s claim that fictitious results were recorded for President Tinubu by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). They also failed to state the figures they claimed were reduced from their election results in various states.
The court criticized the lack of specific details in the petition, such as specific polling units or figures related to unlawful votes. They also noted that the Petitioners failed to provide required documents and attachments as per the law.
However, the court did not agree with the Respondents’ argument that Obi was not validly nominated by the LP, stating that party membership is an internal matter for the LP to decide. The court also ruled that the Petitioners were not obligated to involve Alhaji Atiku Abubakar or the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the case, as they are not statutory Respondents or necessary parties.
The judgment on the substantive matter is yet to be delivered by Justice Haruna Tsammani, the Chairman of the panel.