Peter Obi, the Labour Party candidate from Nigeria’s opposition, has lodged a legal petition in court challenging the results of the disputed presidential election held last month, in which the ruling party’s Bola Tinubu emerged as the winner. Despite finishing third behind Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party, Obi drew significant support from young and first-time voters.
Yunusa Tanko, a spokesperson for the Labour Party, confirmed that the petition was filed on the grounds of challenging the qualifications of the winning candidate and the processes that led to his victory. The election was considered to be Nigeria’s most closely contested in its political history, with Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party posing a credible challenge to the two main parties.
Election observers from several international bodies reported issues such as failures in the systems designed to prevent vote manipulation, poor planning by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and delays in the voting process. The INEC acknowledged technical problems during the count and apologised for the same.
Obi stated at a press conference on March 2 that he would challenge the “rascality” for the country’s future, while Abubakar also expressed his intention to contest the election. However, it is unclear if Abubakar has filed a legal suit to challenge the results. While legal challenges to election results are common in Nigeria, the Supreme Court of Nigeria has never overturned a presidential election.
Unless the court rules otherwise, Tinubu is set to be inaugurated on May 29 as Buhari’s successor, salgen.it who has been in power since 2015.
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