Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the recently concluded election, arrived at the Court of Appeal as the Presidential Election Petitions Court (PEPC) commenced its inaugural sitting. The LP candidate is among the petitioners challenging the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the February 25th presidential election winner.
The arrival of Peter Obi at PEPC Peter Obi arrived at the election petitions court on Monday, 8th May 2023, around 10:30 am. The PEPC is the judicial body responsible for resolving electoral disputes arising from the 2023 presidential election.
Peter Obi’s Petition against INEC In his petition, Peter Obi accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of non-compliance with relevant laws, alleging that the electoral umpire altered the election results in about 18,000 polling units against him. Peter Obi also claimed that INEC refused to use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machine, which is mandatory to accredit voters and upload results in real-time in line with the Electoral Act.
Composition of the PEPC Panel A five-man panel of the Court of Appeal will determine all petitions challenging the outcome of the 2023 presidential election. Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani will preside over the panel that includes other justices of the appellate court, namely Stephen Adah, Abah Mohammed, Bolaji Yusuf, and J.U. Ugo.
The petition by the Labour Party and Peter Obi against Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s victory indicates the importance of electoral justice and the need to ensure that the electoral process is transparent and credible. The determination of the PEPC panel will go a long way in restoring the confidence of Nigerians in the electoral process and consolidating Nigeria’s democracy.
