President-elect, Bola Tinubu, is challenging the right of the Labour Party’s candidate, Peter Obi, to fault his victory at the February 25 presidential election.
In his response to the petition by Obi and the Labour Party, he argued that the former Anambra State government was not a lawful member of the LP as of the time he contested on the party’s platform and lacks the locus standi to challenge the outcome of the exercise.
He queried the competence of Obi’s petition and prayed the court to dismiss it.
His team of lawyers led by Wole Olanikpekun added that as of 24th May 2022, six days before the primary election of the Labour Party purportedly held to produce/elect Obi as the presidential candidate of the party for the presidential election held on 25th February 2023, Obi was still a card-carrying member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and he did not resign his membership of the said party until 24th May 2022.
In his response to the petition by Obi and LP filed last night by his team of lawyers, led by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), he queried the competence of Obi’s petition and prayed the court to dismiss it.
They added: “As of 24th May 2022, that is, six days before the primary election of the LP purportedly held to produce/elect Obi as the presidential candidate of the LP for the presidential election held on 25th February 2023, Obi was still a card-carrying member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and he did not resign his membership of the said party until 24th May 2022.”
They added that as of 30 days before Labour Party’s presidential primary, Obi was still a presidential aspirant in the PDP.
They also argued that the grounds on which the petition is predicated are incompetent, thereby denying the court the needed jurisdiction.