President Tinubu Seeks Supreme Court Dismissal of Peter Obi’s Appeal

“President Tinubu Seeks Supreme Court Dismissal of Peter Obi’s Appeal”

President Bola Tinubu has submitted a request to the Supreme Court for the dismissal of the appeal filed by Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP).

This response was filed by Tinubu’s lead counsel, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), on Saturday in reply to Obi’s notice of appeal.

Background: Tribunal’s Dismissal of Obi’s Petition

The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal had previously, on September 6, issued a judgment rejecting Obi’s petition challenging the outcome of the February 25 presidential election.

The tribunal declared that Obi failed to substantiate the claims in his petition, deeming it without merit and subsequently dismissing it.

Obi’s Appeal to the Supreme Court

Despite the tribunal’s decision, Peter Obi, the LP’s presidential candidate, proceeded to file an appeal with the Supreme Court on September 18, seeking to overturn the tribunal’s findings and conclusions.

Tinubu’s Response to Obi’s Appeal

In response to Peter Obi’s appeal, President Tinubu contended that the LP candidate’s petition was more of a media spectacle than a courtroom process.

He asserted that the appeal lacked merit, substance, and good faith, and, as a result, should be dismissed as it represented a futile endeavor.

Tinubu’s Argument on the Merits of the Case

President Tinubu emphasized that the petition was largely centered on the claim that certain election results were not electronically uploaded to the IREV portal, despite the peaceful conduct of the presidential election throughout the country and accurate recording of results in form EC8As.

The lower court, recognizing its role as a court of law, proceeded to assess the petition on its merits and highlighted several significant failures on the part of the petitioners to provide evidence supporting their case.

Supreme Court’s Role in the Appeal

President Tinubu underscored that unlike previous election petitions, where the Supreme Court made profound judgments on various electoral issues, this appeal arose from a dismissed petition and focused on specific claims regarding electronic result uploads.

The lower court, in addition to affirming the election and declaration of the 2nd respondent (Tinubu), found that the appellants had not substantiated their allegations based on the required standards of proof.