The Labour Party (LP) has rejected the judgement of the Presidential Election Petition Court that dismissed the petitions of its candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, against the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the 25th February polls.
On Wednesday, the tribunal struck out the various charges filed by Obi and the LP challenging Tinubu’s victory.
In a statement, National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh said that justice was not served in the judgement, adding that it did not reflect the law and desires of the people.
The statement read: “The Labour Party watched with dismay and trepidation the dismissal of petitions by the five-man panel of the Presidential Election Petition Court led by Justice Haruna Tsammani today and we reject the outcome of the judgment in its entirety because justice was not served and it did not reflect the law and the desire of the people.
“Nigerians were witnesses to the electoral robbery that took place on 25th February 2023, which was globally condemned but the tribunal in its wisdom refused to accept the obvious.
“What is at stake is democracy and we will not relent until the people’s will prevail.
“We salute the doggedness of our team of lawyers who fearlessly exposed the wrath in our system. We can only weep for democracy in Nigeria but we refuse to give up on Nigeria.
“Details of the party’s position will be presented after consultation with our lawyers after the Certified True Copy of the judgement is made available to us”.
The LP urged all lovers of democracy to remain focused and hopeful, adding that a new Nigeria is possible.
Obi, who came third in the election and his party, had filed a joint petition in March challenging the outcome of the presidential poll.
In their final written address dated 20th July, the petitioners insisted that President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima were not qualified to contest the poll.
The petitioners had argued that Tinubu was not eligible to contest the election due to the forfeiture of $460,000 in the United States of America and his failure to secure 25 percent of votes cast in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In its judgement, the court ruled that the FCT is not treated specially in the election as it is not superior to any state.
The tribunal said the interpretation of the 25 per cent votes cast in the FCT by the LP is “fallacious”.
“With due respect to counsel to the petitioners, their interpretation of the provision of the constitution, as regards the 25 per cent in Abuja, is fallacious if not completely ludicrous”, the court said.
The court held that there is equality of rights irrespective of which part of the country voters prefer to live in.
The court also ruled that the LP failed to prove that President Tinubu should have been disqualified from contesting the election on account of a forfeiture agreement.
In 1993, Tinubu surrendered $460,000 to the US government after a Chicago court found that the money was the proceeds of heroin trafficking.
The forfeiture deal was one of the prayers against Tinubu by the LP, Obi and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party.
While reading the lead judgment, chairman of the tribunal Justice Haruna Tsammani said the evidence (Exhibit P5) tendered by the petitioners showed that it was a civil forfeiture case.
Tsammani held that the petitioners failed to adduce credible evidence to show that Tinubu was arraigned or took a plea or was sentenced or fined in any criminal suit in the US.
