By John Ikani
The recent presidential election in Nigeria has been rocked by controversy, as the Labour Party (LP) and its candidate, Mr Peter Obi, have lodged a formal petition at the Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja.
The LP is challenging the victory of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) who was declared the winner of the election held on February 25, 2023.
The petition, which has been marked CA/PEPC/03/2023, names the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) Tinubu, his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, and the APC as the 1st to 4th respondents.
According to the LP, Tinubu was not duly elected by a majority of the lawful votes cast at the election, and they are praying that the tribunal declares this to be the case.
They have also requested an order, mandating INEC to retrieve the certificate of return issued to the APC candidate and issue a fresh one to Obi.
The LP further alleges that at the time of the election, Tinubu was not qualified to contest and that the election was invalid due to corrupt practices and non-compliance with the provision of the Electoral Act 2022.
Obi has also called for the cancellation of the election and for INEC to conduct a fresh election in which Tinubu, Shettima, and the APC will not participate.
Other parties have also lodged separate petitions challenging the outcome of the presidential election.
The Action Alliance and its presidential candidate, Solomon Okanigbuan, have lodged a petition marked CA/PEPC/01/2023 while the Allied Peoples’ Movement has filed a petition marked CA/PEPC/04/2023.
The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, is expected to file his own petition before midnight, which is the deadline for filing.
This move further highlights the intensity of the controversy surrounding the election and the desire of various parties to ensure that the true winner emerges.
As the proceedings continue, Nigerians wait with bated breath to see what the outcome will be.
