“Peter Obi Failed To Prove Claims Of Election Irregularities, Suppression Of Votes” – Tribunal Rules

The Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal has ruled that the petition filed by Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, lacked clarity in certain crucial aspects.

Justice Abba Bello Mohammed, who read the lead judgment, conveyed the tribunal’s decision on Wednesday, September 6, 2023.

It emphasized that the petitioners, comprising Peter Obi and the LP, made reference to irregularities in the election but did not provide specific details regarding these irregularities, such as their locations, the affected parties, or the number of votes influenced.

Additionally, the tribunal noted that the petitioners did not specify the number of votes affected or the number of individuals who were disenfranchised.

The court also held that despite claiming to have secured the majority of lawful votes cast, they failed to state the actual number of lawful votes they received.

The court underlined the fundamental role of figures in determining election outcomes, emphasizing the importance of providing precise numerical information.

Moreover, the court concluded that the petitioners did not substantiate their claim that their votes were suppressed, as they did not specify the quantity of votes that were allegedly suppressed.

The court went on to dismiss several paragraphs in the LP’s petition for being generic and lacking specificity.

It pointed out that these paragraphs failed to identify the specific polling units where irregularities were alleged to have occurred.

KanyiDaily recalls that the Presidential Election Petition Court also struck out the petitions filed by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) against President Bola Tinubu and Vice President, Kashim Shettima.