The Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT) has dismissed a petition filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) challenging the membership of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), in the party.
The APC had argued that Obi was not a valid member of the LP at the time of the election, as he had not been a member of the party for at least 30 days before the party’s presidential primary.
However, the PEPT ruled that the APC’s petition was incompetent.
Similarly, the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT) ruled that the Labour Party (LP)’s petition of irregularities in the 2023 presidential election was generic.
It said that the LP failed to supply particulars of what they actually scored before the said reductions, and neither did they supply the polling units where it happened.
“Pleading must set out material facts and particulars. In the instant petition, there was no effort to prove specific allegations, particulars of complaints,” the Tribunal ruled on Wednesday in Abuja.
The law is clear that where someone alleges irregularities in a particular polling unit, such person must prove the particular irregularities in that polling unit before that petition can succeed, the Tribunal added.
According to the Tribunal, the petitioners did not prove the particular polling units where the election did not take place nor did they specify particulars of polling units where there are alleged complainants of irregularities.
“It was only in one instance that figures were given of alleged suppressed votes and we all know that elections are about figures,” it maintained.
LP had alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reduced their scores and added it to All Progressives Congress (APC)’s votes.
But the court said LP failed to supply particulars of what they actually scored before the said reductions, neither did they supply the polling units where it happened.
