LP rejects tribunal judgement, says not reflection of people’s desires

LP rejects tribunal judgement, says not reflection of people’s desires

 The Labour Party (LP) has rejected the judgement of the
presidential election petition tribunal that dismissed the petitions of Peter
Obi, its candidate, against the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the
February 25 polls.

 

On Wednesday, the tribunal struck out the various charges
filed by Obi and the LP challenging Tinubu’s victory.

 

Obiora Ifoh, national publicity secretary of the LP, said in
a statement that justice was not served in the judgement, adding that it did
not reflect the law and desires of the people.

 

Obi who came third in the election and his party had filed a
joint petition in March challenging the outcome of the presidential poll.

In their final written address dated July 20, the
petitioners insisted that Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima were not
qualified to contest the poll.The petitioners had argued that Tinubu was not eligible to
contest the election due to the forfeiture of $460,000 in the US and his
failure to secure 25 percent of votes cast in the federal capital territory
(FCT).

 

FCT not superior to any state

 

But the tribunal in its judgement said the FCT is not
treated specially in the election as it is not superior to any state.

 

The tribunal said the interpretation of the 25 percent votes
cast in the  FCT by the LP is
“fallacious”.

 

“With due respect to counsel to the petitioners, their
interpretation of the provision of the constitution, as regards the 25 percent
in Abuja, is fallacious if not completely ludicrous,” the court said.

 

The court held that there is equality of rights irrespective
of which part of the country voters prefer to live in.

 

$460k forfeiture: Obi, LP failed to prove Tinubu was
convicted

 

The tribunal also ruled that the LP failed to prove that
Tinubu should have been disqualified from contesting the election on account of
a forfeiture agreement.

 

In 1993, Tinubu surrendered $460,000 to the US government
after a Chicago court found that the money was the proceeds of heroin
trafficking.

 

The forfeiture deal was one of the prayers against Tinubu by
the LP, Obi and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

 

While reading the lead judgment, Haruna Tsammani, chairman
of the tribunal, said the evidence (Exhibit P5) tendered by the petitioners
showed that it was a civil forfeiture case.

 

Tsammani held that the petitioners failed to adduce credible
evidence to show that Tinubu was arraigned or took a plea or was sentenced or
fined in any criminal suit in the US.

 

Source: LP rejects tribunal judgement, says not reflection of people’s desires

 - NigerianEye
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