PEPT Dismisses APM, Peter Obi’s Petitions Against Tinubu & APC

The Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja has given its verdict on the petition filed by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), contesting the legitimacy of President Tinubu‘s election. In a ruling delivered today, September 6, the court dismissed APM’s petition, for its “lack of merit and abuse of the court process.”

Heading the five-member panel, Justice Haruna Tsammani presided over the court’s judgment. He stated that the court lacked jurisdiction to address the alleged invalid nomination of Senator Kassim Shettima as the vice president, as it was a pre-election matter that should have been raised in the Federal High Court. Also, that the qualifications of candidates for election are clearly outlined in the constitution and cannot be challenged.

APM’s claims were found to lack concrete evidence, and the allegation of the APC not conducting a primary election for the vice president position was dismissed, as it falls within the president’s constitutional powers. Consequently, the petition was deemed without merit.

PEPC JUDGEMENT ON 2023 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Justice Tsammani holds that the Allied People's Movement lack locus stand to institute matters bothering on nomination and sponsorship of Vice President @officialSKSM. #PEPTJudgement pic.twitter.com/oDODQZNvjy

— NTA News (@NTANewsNow) September 6, 2023

This development comes amid other ongoing petitions, notably, those filed by Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who secured the second position in the election results declared by INEC, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), who came in third.

BREAKING #PEPTJudgement

The presidential election petition Court has struck out the petition of the Allied Peoples Movement for lack of merit and abuse of the Court process.

The court after considering the grounds of the petition which dwelled on the alleged invalid nomination… pic.twitter.com/OI9DzWsnbl

— NTA News (@NTANewsNow) September 6, 2023

Meanwhile, the presidential election tribunal in Abuja also handed down its judgment on the petition filed by Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, challenging the integrity of the February 25 election. The tribunal, in a unanimous ruling, dismissed Obi’s petition.

According to Punch, Justice Abba Mohammed, one of the five justices presiding over the tribunal, reading the decision, stated that the petitioners had made generic allegations of irregularities against the respondents without specifying the specific polling units affected.

“The petitioners allege irregularities and will use spreadsheets, inspection reports, and forensic analysis as evidence in the trial. The documents promised by the petitioners were not attached to the petition and served on the respondents.”

Labour Party in its petition fails to prove any criminal record of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani

— NTA News (@NTANewsNow) September 6, 2023