Tinubu emerges victorious as Tribunal dismisses Obi, Labour Party’s petitions

Tinubu emerges victorious as Tribunal dismisses Obi, Labour Party’s petitions

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu secured victory on Wednesday as the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT) dismissed all petitions filed by Peter Obi and the Labour Party (LP) challenging the February 25th presidential election results.

The tribunal, led by Justice Simon Tsammani, ruled that the petitions failed to establish their assertion that INEC must electronically transfer presidential election results.

To challenge the winner’s legitimacy, the petitioners needed to provide both the alleged lawful results and the ones they contested.

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Furthermore, the tribunal stated that the fraud case against President Tinubu, brought by the Labour Party, could not be proven. They noted that the APC candidate had been cleared of drug-related crimes in the US.

Addressing the issue of the 25% requirement in the FCT, the tribunal emphasized that Abuja is not a special case, and such a threshold is not necessary to win the presidency.

Additionally, they affirmed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has the discretion to choose its method of transmitting election results.

The tribunal found that the evidence presented by Peter Obi did not substantiate his claim of winning the Presidential Election.

Justice Tsammani noted that the glitches reported by INEC, which hindered the uploading of presidential results, were not proven to be a deliberate attempt to manipulate the outcome.

They also commended INEC for complying substantially with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, during the 2023 presidential election.