The All Progressives Congress (APC) and Bola Tinubu have petitioned the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to dismiss the petition filed by Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
APC faulted the petition on numerous grounds.
It also questioned the court’s jurisdiction to hear the petition, claiming, among other things, that it is incompetent.
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The APC’s grounds for challenging the petition’s competence include the fact that Obi was not a valid member of the Labour Party at the time of the election.
The APC argued that Obi was a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) until May 24, 2022, when he was screened as the party’s presidential aspirant in April 2023.
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According to the APC, Obi took part in the PDP’s screening process and was approved to run for president as an aspirant.
It went on to say that Obi allegedly resigned from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on May 24, 2022, in order to join the Labour Party on May 27, 2022.
On May 30, 2022, the Labour Party held its presidential primary, purportedly producing Obi as its candidate, which violated Section 77(3) of the Electoral Act for him to contest the primary election as a member of the LP.
Pay Attention to Court Rules on Suit to Disqualify Peter Obi’s Candidature
The APC claimed that Peter Obi was not a member of the Labour Party at the time of his alleged sponsorship.
According to Sections 77(1), (2), and (3) of the Electoral Act 2022, a political party must keep a register and make it available to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) no later than 30 days before the date set for party primaries, congresses, and conventions.
The APC also claimed that Peter Obi resigned from the PDP on Thursday, May 26, 2022, and joined the Labour Party the next day, May 27, 2022.
“On May 30, 2022, the 2nd petitioner herein held its presidential primary, which produced the 1st petitioner as the candidate it intended to sponsor in the general election,” the APC stated.
According to Section 77(3) of the Electoral Act of 2022, the Labour Party is required to have submitted its comprehensive register of members to INEC 30 days before its presidential primary, which means that the said register of members must have been submitted to the first respondent on or before April 30th, 2022.
Peter Obi was still a member of the PDP as of April 30, 2022, and his name was not and could not have been on the Labour Party’s register of members submitted to INEC.
The Labour Party and Peter Obi are contesting the election victory of APC President-elect Bola Tinubu on the grounds of alleged non-qualification and non-compliance, among other things.
