The Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal in Abuja postponed the pre-hearing of the lawsuit filed by the Labour Party (LP) and Peter Obi challenging Bola Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 presidential election to May 10, 2023.
The former governor of Anambra State, who finished in the third position in the presidential election, is challenging Tinubu’s victory as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate.
Concerned about the transparency and fairness of the electoral process, Obi and his party have urged the tribunal to examine into the matter and render a just verdict.
The petition, which was filed jointly by Obi and L, names the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Tinubu, Shettima Kashim, and the APC as respondents.
Obi and LP want the tribunal to determine “that the 2nd Respondent (Tinubu) having failed to score one-quarter of the votes cast at the Presidential Election in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja was not entitled to be declared and returned as the winner of the presidential election held on 25 February 2023”.
Obi and his party also prayed the court to order the cancellation of the February 25 presidential election.
They added that: “the Presidential election conducted on 25th February 2023 is void on the ground that the election was not conducted substantially in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended”.
The LP candidate additionally requested that the court order INEC to hold a new election in addition to cancelling the previous one.
Obi also requested that the tribunal issue an order disqualifying Tinubu and Shettima from standing in the new election.
He said, “The nomination of Kashim Shettima as the Vice Presidential candidate was defective as he did not withdraw from his nomination as a senatorial candidate of his party before accepting to serve as the vice presidential candidate of Tinubu”.