The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal has begun the delivery of judgment in the petition by Peter Obi and the Labour Party challenging the victory of President Bola Tinubu.
Obi, a former Anambra State governor and his party, LP, are challenging Tinubu’s victory in the February 25, 2023, presidential election.
A member of the tribunal’s five-member panel, Justice Abba Mohammed, is presently reading the lead judgment.
He started with some preliminary motions challenging the competence of some aspects of the petition.
Obi and LP are complainants in the petition marked CA/PEPC/03/2023, challenging the election that brought Tinubu to power on May 29.
Respondents in the petition are the Independent National Electoral Commission, President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima and All Progressives Congress.
Mohammed started with some preliminary motions challenging the competence of some aspects of the petition.
The petitioners made allegations of irregularities and said they would rely on spreadsheets, inspection reports, and forensic analysis filed with the petition during trial.
But Mohammed said the documents promised by the petitioners were not attached to the petition and served on the respondents.
The court faults the respondents’ contention challenging Obi’s membership of the Labour Party.
Mohammed said only a political party can determine who its members are, and that no other person or entity can probe into it.
The court also faults the respondents’ objection which faulted the Labour Party’s petition on the grounds that it failed to join Atiku Abubakar who came second in the election.
Mohammed said a petitioner was only obligated to join the person and the political party who won the election and the commission that conducted the election as parties to his petition.
