Why the Labour Party Has Rejected the Presidential Election Petition Court Judgment: A Deep Dive

The Labour Party has formally disapproved of the Presidential Election Petition Court’s verdict that validated the election of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the 25th of February 2023, poll.

Obiora Ifoh, the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, announced the party’s stance in Abuja immediately after the tribunal revealed its decision.

Ifoh stated, “The Labour Party is deeply dismayed by today’s judgement from the five-man panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani. We reject this outcome in its entirety as justice was not duly served and the decision failed to reflect both the law and the public’s wishes.”

The party spokesperson added, “What we witnessed on February 25, 2023, was an electoral heist, globally denounced. Yet, the Tribunal chose to turn a blind eye. Democracy is at risk, but we remain steadfast in our pursuit of justice. Our legal team’s resilience is commendable.”

The Labour Party also vowed to continue its fight. It further urged supporters to “remain focused and hopeful because a new Nigeria is achievable.”

What you need to know

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC on the 1st of March, 2023, announced Tinubu as the winner of the presidential election contested by 18 candidates.

It declared that Tinubu got a total of 8,794,726 votes to defeat Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party who got a total of 6,984,520 votes and Obi who came third with a total of 6,101,533 votes.

Following the declaration, the Labour Party and Peter Obi took the Independent National Electoral Commission, President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to court. 

They prayed the court to declare him as the candidate that secured the majority of the lawful votes cast with the required constitutional spread of not less than 25% of the votes cast in at least two-thirds of the states of the federation, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

He pleaded with the court to order a fresh poll, with the exclusion of both Tinubu and the APC, by virtue of their non-qualification to participate in the election.