Peter Obi, Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the February 25 election has arrived at the venue of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja as the hearing begins today.
Also at the venue is Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, who was the Director General Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council in the last election.
The Quest Times had reported that Presidential Election Tribunal is set to hear the petitions of aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) candidates, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi respectively regarding the outcome of the Nigerian presidential election.
The hearing has caused anxiety among supporters of both parties, as the tribunal’s decision could have far-reaching consequences for the country’s political landscape.
The two candidates are challenging the outcome of the presidential election held on February 25, in which the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Tinubu, was proclaimed the winner.
Atiku and Obi and others approached the tribunal to upturn Tinubu’s victory on the grounds of substantial non-compliance with the provisions of the Constitution, the Electoral Act and the guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the conduct of the poll.
Atiku, a former vice president, who hinged his petition on five grounds, is asking the court to order the electoral body to conduct a fresh election following alleged irregularities at polling units during the presidential poll.
Atiku and his party are saying that Tinubu was declared the winner of the election when all results and accreditation data from polling units were yet to be transmitted and uploaded by INEC.
Obi, a former Anambra governor, is also alleging various irregularities in the conduct of the election, insisting that Tinubu and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, were not qualified to contest.
Obi also said that Tinubu failed to win the majority of lawful votes and was unable to garner one-quarter of votes in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
The reports that during the pre-hearing session today, the Court is expected to provide a full timetable for hearing the substantive petitions filed against the President-elect at the election tribunal.