2023 Presidential Poll: Three Things Peter Obi Told INEC

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP,  Peter Obi, has faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for filing a preliminary objection in support of the President-elect and candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu.

Obi who accused INEC of being biased, noted that both the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal had in the past, cautioned INEC not to place itself “in a position where imputation of partiality in favour of one party against another will be levelled against it.”

INEC had no respect for neutrality

In a reply filed before the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, Obi said “The first respondent, forgetting its role as an electoral umpire, gave a Notice of Preliminary Objection to challenge the alleged incompetence of the petition.

He stressed that “The global best practice for electoral umpires in national elections is that an electoral body must avoid creating the impression that it has no respect for neutrality in an electoral contest between candidates.”

Obi describes INEC’s preliminary objection as misconceived

The former Anambra governor said INEC’s preliminary objection against the petition he lodged against the declaration of Tinubu as the winner of the presidential election. He said, “The first respondent’s contention that the reliefs sought in the petition are not grantable is false and made in manifest disregard of the specific and concise pleadings in the petition. The pleading in the 1st Respondent’s Notice of Preliminary Objection that the allegation in paragraph 20(ii) of the Petition is defective and does not disclose a cause of action, is wishful thinking.”

INEC failed to give LP agents copies of the result

Furthermore, Obi said INEC, unfortunately “failed and neglected to give clear copies of the result of the election in the polling units (Forms EC 8A) to the Petitioners’ Agents, as the pink copies given to the Petitioners Agents were very faint and unreadable.”