Oppositions’ Camp Quakes As Labour Party, Peter Obi’s Lawsuit Against INEC, Tinubu Surfaces

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party LP, Mr. Peter Obi, has filed a petition to challenge the victory of Senator Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress APC in the February 25th, 2023 Presidential election.

According to the result announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC Senator Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress APC won the poll, while Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party PDP and Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party LP came second and third respectively.

A sequel to the result, Mr. Peter Obi, on Tuesday, filed a petition to challenge the outcome of the poll at the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja.

He alleged that the election was characterised by various irregularities including the non-qualification of Mr. Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima to contest the election.

Mr. Obi also alleged that Mr. Tinubu failed to win the majority of the lawful votes cast in the election, and just as he could not secure one-quarter of the lawful votes cast in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

He further alleged that the election was conducted in substantial non-compliance with the provision of the law.

The Labour Party candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, therefore, urged the court to either declare him the president-elect, in the belief that he scored the majority of the lawful votes during the election, or nullify the entire election and order a fresh election.

The petition contains a total of five prayers divided into two categories – two main prayers and three alternative prayers.

Significant enough, Mr. Obi jointly filed the petition alongside his party, the Labour Party.

The co-petitioners sued the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr. Tinubu, Kashim Shettima (vice-president-elect), and their party, the APC, as the respondents.

According to Priscilla Funkepere Ugbagba, the petitioners filed their case on Tuesday, beating the 21-day deadline that began to count from March 1 when INEC declared the winner of the election.