The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi has expressed his gratitude to his legal team for their efforts in challenging the outcome of the February 25 election.
Recall that the LP flagbearer placed third in the 2023 presidential election results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
However, the former Anambra State Governor rejected the results and headed to the Presidential Election Petitions Court (PEPC) to challenge and reclaim his ‘stolen mandate.’
However, on Friday, INEC rejected some documents tendered before the tribunal by the LP and its presidential candidate in their suit challenging the victory of President Bola Tinubu.
The petitioners presented certified true copies of election results contained in Forms EC 8As from six states of the federation, in support of their petition.
In their joint petition marked CA/PEPC/03/2023, Obi and his party are contending that President Tinubu was not the valid winner of the February 25 presidential election in Nigeria.
When proceedings resumed, the petitioners tendered further election results in six other states including Adamawa Bayelsa, Oyo, Edo, Lagos, and Akwa Ibom apart from the ones presented on Thursday.
However, the counsel to INEC, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), opposed the admissibility of the additional results from Rivers State, which it said were “strange.”
The lawyer however told the court that the Commission would advance reasons why it opposed the admissibility of the results, in its final written address.
But after his initial submission, Pinheiro went ahead to tell the court that INEC objected to the tendering of the election result sheets because the petitioners went beyond the areas where the election was being disputed.
Speaking via his Twitter account shortly after the court session, Obi said the proceedings went well and the case was adjourned until Monday, June 5.
The LP flagbearer, therefore, said he would be continually gratified by the efforts of his legal team to reclaim his mandate from Tinubu.
He wrote: “As usual, today I attended the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal at the Court of Appeal in Abuja. Today’s proceedings went well and at the end, the case was adjourned until Monday the 5th of June, 2023. I’m continually gratified by the efforts of our legal team.”
