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The Labour Party (LP) has rejected the judgement of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) that dismissed its petition challenging the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.
The party and its candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, had alleged that the election was marred by irregularities, malpractices and fraud, and that Tinubu was not qualified to contest because of his alleged criminal record in the United States.
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However, the PEPC, in a unanimous decision delivered by Justice Abba Mohammed on Wednesday, dismissed the petition for lack of merit and evidence. The court held that Obi and the LP failed to prove their allegations beyond reasonable doubt, and that Tinubu was duly elected by the majority of lawful votes cast at the election.
The court also cleared Tinubu of any wrongdoing in the US, saying that the $460, 000 fine that was imposed on him in 1994 was in a civil matter and not a criminal conviction. The court said that Tinubu had disclosed his involvement in the case in his affidavit and that it did not affect his eligibility to contest.
The LP, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the judgement, saying that it did not reflect the true will of the Nigerian people. The party’ s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, said that the party would appeal the judgement at the Supreme Court.
Ifoh said that the party was not surprised by the outcome of the judgement, as it had anticipated a biased verdict from the PEPC. He accused the court of being influenced by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and its agents, and of ignoring the overwhelming evidence presented by the party’ s lawyers.
He said that the party was confident that justice would prevail at the apex court, and that Nigerians would reclaim their stolen mandate from Tinubu and his cohorts. He urged all supporters of democracy and good governance to remain calm and hopeful, as the party would not give up on its quest for a new Nigeria.
He said: ” The Labour Party expresses deep disappointment and apprehension regarding the dismissal of the petitions by the five- member panel of the Presidential Election Petition Court, headed by Justice Haruna Tsammani today. We categorically reject the judgment’ s entirety due to the absence of justice and its failure to align with both the law and the people’ s aspirations.
” Nigerians bore witness to the electoral malpractice that occurred on February 25, 2023, which received international condemnation. Regrettably, the Tribunal, in its wisdom, chose to overlook this glaring injustice. What hangs in the balance is the very essence of democracy, and we shall persist until the will of the people prevails”.
