As the legal fireworks between Peter Obi and Bola Tinubu kick-start today, Monday, May 8, here are five prayers the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate seeks in his petition against the President-elect.
The petition, jointly filed by Obi and his party, has INEC, Tinubu, Shettima Kashim, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the respondents.
Let’s take a look at the five (5) prayers:
25% in FCT
There has been a never-ending debate since Tinubu was declared winner of the election without securing 25% in the FCT, hence, 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”.
Election cancellation
Obi and his party also prayed the court to order the cancellation of the February 25 presidential election adding “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”.
Fresh election
In addition to the election cancellation, the LP candidate asked the court to compel INEC to conduct the fresh election.
Fresh election without Tinubu/Shettima
Okwute, fondly called by his admirers, also prayed the tribunal to make an order that will disqualify Tinubu and his running mate, Shettima from the fresh election, otherwise known as a rerun.
According to the LP flag-bearer, “the nomination of Kashim Shettima as 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 vice presidential candidate of Mr Tinubu”.
Eligibility
The petitioners argue that Mr Tinubu should not have been eligible to run for the top office due to his “ineligibility”.
Obi’s lead lawyer, Livy Uzoukwu in his submission, said the president-elect “was not duly elected by majority of the lawful votes cast at the time of the election”.
Also, Obi claimed the APC candidate “was linked to drug trafficking by US court” leading to his eventual forfeiture of the sum of $460,000 to the American government, adding the latter is “not qualified to contest Nigerian presidency”.
Hence, Obi and LP would have to prove these claims in court without reasonable doubt.
