The President – elect in the 2023 Presidential election, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his response to the petition by Obi and the Labour Party has asserted 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, and lacks the locus standi to challenge the outcome of the exercise.
The President-elect also contended that the reliefs being sought by the petitioners are not only incompetent but also ungrantable.
Tinubu further 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 Peoples 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.
They also 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 further argued that Tinubu was never convicted as claimed by Peter Obi.
He further argued that he is not currently under sentence of death imposed by any competent court of law or tribunal in Nigeria or 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 in view of his alleged double nomination.
They equally faulted the petitioners’ questioning of the manner Tinubu appointed his running mate.
