Just In: Peter Obi Demands Conduct Of Fresh Presidential Election, Ask Tribunal To Cancel Polls

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the February 25 elections, Peter Obi has demanded fresh conduct of the 2023 presidential election.
This is as Obi requests the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) to cancel the February 25 polls and order the conduct of a new one.

It was learnt that Obi and LP filed their petition early on Tuesday, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Bola Tinubu, Shettima Kashim (vice president-elect) and their party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) listed as respondents.

Newsdirect learnt that the Labour Party flag bearer among other prayers to the court also asked that the tribunal located at the Court of Appeal in Abuja “to determine that all the votes recorded for” Mr Tinubu “in the election are wasted votes, owing to the non-qualification” of the president-elect and Mr Shettima.

He also argued that Tinubu “at the time of the election was not qualified to contest the election.”

The petitioners, represented by a team of lawyers led by Livy Ozoukwu (SAN) want the court to hold that “at the time of the presidential election held on 25 February 2023,” Messrs Tinubu and Shettima “were not qualified to contest the election. “

The petitioners equally want the court to hold that the 2nd respondent (Tinubu) having failed to score one-quarter of the votes cast at the Presidential Election in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, was not entitled to be declared and returned as the winner of the presidential election held on 25 February 2023.

Also, the petitioner is seeking “An order cancelling the election and compelling the 1st respondent (INEC) to conduct a fresh election at which the 2nd Respondent (Tinubu), 3rd respondent (Shettima) and 4th respondent (APC) shall not participate.”

Obi’s request forms part of the reliefs being sought in a petition he filed with his party at the court’s secretariat.