The Presidential Election Petition Court has ruled that it is irrelevant that President Bola Tinubu did not secure 25% of the votes cast in at least two-thirds of the states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, in the case brought by Peter Obi and the Labour Party.
As previously reported, Peter Obi and the Labour Party had petitioned the court, seeking a declaration that Obi secured the majority of lawful votes, meeting the constitutional requirement of a spread exceeding 25% in at least two-thirds of the states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
However, in its Wednesday ruling, the court agreed with the respondent’s argument that “the FCT does not enjoy a special status, and that Abuja is inhabited by Nigerians and does not enjoy any special privilege.”
Consequently, the court held that the constitutional spread requirement is irrelevant in this case.
Earlier in the proceedings, the court had stated that Peter Obi and the Labour Party (LP) failed to substantiate their claims of anomalies in their petition against President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.