PEPT Dismisses Obi's Rigging Allegation Against President Tinubu

PEPC Dismisses Obi’s Rigging Allegation

Says alleged criminal indictment in the US is not true. 

The Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPT on Wednesday, threw out allegations by the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi, that the February 25 Presidential election was rigged to favour of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. 

Delivering the verdict in its preliminary ruling, Justice Abba Mohammed held that both Obi and and his party, the LP, did not adduce any credible evidence, or establish their allegation that the said election was characterized by manifest corrupt practices.

The judge added that though the duo alleged the election as marred by irregularities, they failed to prove the allegation with the production of specific details of where the alleged electoral fraud took place.

In particular, the PEPT judgement noted that whereas Obi and his party insisted on the point that the election was rigged in as many as 18, 088 polling units across the country, they failed to establish the locations of the said polling units.

The PEPT further ruled that the LP's flag bearer's failed to prove his claim that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, recorded fictitious results for President Tinubu and the APC. 

 Meanwhile, the PEPT also dismissed the drug-dealing indictment allegation filed against the President.

According to the tribunal, the forfeiture was not a criminal indictment which it insists cannot stand as a basis for disqualifying President Tinubu. 

The verdict, delivered by the Justice Haruna Tsammani-led five-member PEPT panel, noted that President Tinubu was already cleared by the Nigeria Police Force of any criminal issues in the US, from an inquiry it made to the US law enforcement.

It noted also that he has been able to enter and exit the US, a proof that he has no criminal case. 

The PEPT ruled it was in a civil case that the US District in Northern Illinois ordered the forfeiture of Tinubu’s $460,000, even more so that he was not a direct party to same. 

It therefore concluded that the petitioners failed to provide credible evidence to prove that Tinubu was arraigned, took a plea or was sentenced or fined in any criminal suit in the US.

The civil forfeiture, the PEPT insists, is not a conviction or a criminal charge.

“The order of forfeiture in Exhibit P5 on which the petitioners have relied does not qualify as a sentence of fine for an offence involving dishonesty or fraud within the confabulation of Section 137(d) of the 1999 constitution,” it ruled.