Tribunal: You don’t have power to challenge my victory -Tinubu tells Peter Obi

President-elect, Bola Tinubu, has said that the Labour Party’s candidate, Peter Obi cannot challenge his victory at the February 25 presidential election.

Tinubu, in his counter to the petition by Obi and the Labour Party, argued that the former Anambra State governor was not a lawful member of the LP as of the time he contested on the party’s platform, adding that he lacked the locus standi to challenge the outcome of the exercise.

He, however, questioned the competence of Obi’s petition and prayed the court to dismiss it.

According to his team of lawyers led by Wole Olanikpekun, as of 24th May 2022, six days before the primary election of the Labour Party purportedly held on 25th February 2023, to produce/elect Obi as the presidential candidate of the party, Obi was still a card-carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and he did not resign his membership of the said party.

Tinubu stressed that as of 30 days before Labour Party’s presidential primary, Obi was still a presidential aspirant in the PDP.

Olanikpekun and his team also argued that the grounds on which the petition is predicated are incompetent, thereby denying the court the needed jurisdiction.

The President-elect also contended that the reliefs being sought by the petitioners are not only incompetent but also cannot be granted.

Tinubu’s lead lawyer argued that the claim by Obi and his party that Tinubu was not qualified to contest the election was outside the issue the court could deal with because it falls within the precinct of pre-election issues.

He emphatically remarked that Tinubu was never convicted as claimed by Peter Obi.

The president-elect clarified that he is not currently under the sentence of death imposed by any competent court of law or tribunal in Nigeria or the sentence of imprisonment or fine for any offence involving dishonesty or fraud imposed by any competent court of law or tribunal in Nigeria.

He further pointed out that Obi did not disclose any fact showing that within a -period of fewer than 10 years before the date of the election to the office of President, Tinubu had been sentenced for an offence involving dishonesty or had been found guilty of the contravention of the code of conduct.

He also faulted the claim by the petitioners that Tinubu’s running mate Kashim Shettima was not qualified to stand for election given his alleged double nomination.

They equally faulted the petitioners’ questioning of the manner Tinubu appointed his running mate.

Source: Daily Post.