Peter Obi, the Presidential candidate of Labour Party has given the reason why he will be seeking redress at the Supreme Court after the verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal went against him.
News About Nigeria reports that Obi, while addressing a press conference in Onitsha Anambra state, revealed that he will exhaust all options to seek legal redress at the Supreme Court because the apex court will deliver a fair judgement.
“In my capacity as a presidential candidate and on behalf of the Labour Party, we will immediately challenge this judgement through the appellate process, as permitted by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Obi said.
Buttressing his decision to head to the Supreme Court, Obi said the election petition tribunal was not the ultimate authority in this matter, adding that the responsibility now rested on the Supreme Court.
In order for a democracy to flourish, Obi emphasised the critical role that strong national institutions and public faith in them play. If INEC carried out its statutory duties in an open and equitable manner, he noted, election litigation could be greatly reduced. But when these organisations fail, as he claimed INEC did in this instance, the judiciary becomes a necessary last resort.
His comment comes as the PEPT struck out petitions he filed against the election of President Bola Tinubu. The tribunal also struck out a case brought by Peoples Democratic Party before the court.
However, in the aftermath of its verdict, the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party rejected the court verdict indicating intentions to appeal the tribunal verdict at the Supreme Court.
Obi who came third in the February 2023 Presidential election is asking the judiciary to nullify the election of President Bola Tinubu.3
