The Presidential Election Petitions Court on Wednesday ruled that the Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, was unable to prove that President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was convicted for money laundering in the United States.
The five-man panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani ruled that no record of criminal arrest or conviction was established against Tinubu by the petitioners.
It noted that the petitioners failed to comply with the stipulations in the Evidence Act regarding the tendering of documents obtained from foreign jurisdictions.
The court equally said that the LP failed to prove electoral infractions it alleged by failing to supply particulars of what they actually scored before the said reductions, neither did they supply the polling units where it happened.
Similarly, the Tribunal ruled that the Labour Party (LP)’s claim of irregularities in the 2023 presidential election was generic.
“Pleading must set out material facts and particulars.
“In the instant petition, there was no effort to prove specific allegations, particulars of complaints,” the Court stated on Wednesday in Abuja.
“The law is clear that where someone alleges irregularities in a particular polling unit, such person must prove the particular irregularities in that polling unit before that petition can succeed”, the Court said.
According to the PEPC, the petitioners failed to prove the particular polling units where the election did not take place, nor did they specify particulars of polling units where there were alleged complainants of irregularities.
“It was only in one instance that figures were given of alleged suppressed votes and we all know that elections are about figures,” it maintained.
LP had alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reduced their scores and added it to All Progressives Congress (APC)’s votes.
But the court declared that the LP failed to supply particulars of what they actually scored before the said reductions, neither did they supply the polling units where it happened.
The court summarised its decision as follows:
*INEC not mandated to e-transfer election results;
* FCT Abuja not given any special status by constitution;
* President Tinubu not criminally indicted in USA, rather what transpired was a civil matter;
*Allegations that INEC rigged election, too generic and non-specific to be attended to;
*VP Shettima’s presentation as senatorial candidate and Vice-presidential candidate, irrelevant as it is a pre-election matter.
