Tinubu and Shettima Present Evidence of Obi’s Non-Membership in Labour Party

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima have provided substantial evidence to support their assertion that Peter Obi is not a registered member of the Labour Party (LP).

Presenting their defense at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) on Wednesday, Tinubu and Shettima submitted a copy of the Labour Party membership register for Anambra State as evidence. They aimed to counter the petition filed by Obi and the Labour Party, challenging their victory in the February 25 presidential election.

According to the president and vice president, Obi, who allegedly was not a party member during the previous presidential poll, was ineligible to contest the election under the LP.

During the tribunal proceedings held in Abuja, their legal representative, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), submitted the membership register and a letter from the Labour Party dated April 25, 2022, addressed to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). These documents were presented as supporting evidence.

Tinubu and Shettima claimed that Obi purportedly resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on May 26, 2022, only to join the Labour Party on May 27, 2022. They further pointed out that the LP held its Presidential Primary election on May 30, 2022, where Obi emerged as the candidate for the general election.

Citing Section 77(3) of the Electoral Act, the counsel for Tinubu and Shettima argued that they were obligated to submit their comprehensive register of members to INEC 30 days before their presidential primary.

Therefore, the register should have been submitted to INEC on or before April 30, 2022.
Tinubu and Shettima claimed that as of April 30, 2022, Obi was still a member of the PDP, and his name was not included in the register of members submitted by the LP to INEC.

In response, Obi’s counsel argued that he was indeed a member of the PDP when he contested the presidential election under the LP. Although objections were raised by the petitioners’ lawyer, Livy Uzoukwu (SAN), the court admitted the documents as Exhibits RA17 and RA18.

Yesterday, the five-man panel of the Tribunal announced that Wednesday would be dedicated to Tinubu and Shettima’s defense after INEC concluded its case regarding the disputed poll.

In another development, the court accepted educational documents of Tinubu from the Chicago State University as exhibits. These documents, including his admission letter, aimed to establish his attendance and graduation.

Tinubu’s lead counsel, Olanipekun, also presented his United States visa documents. Additionally, Tinubu provided documents from the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to refute allegations of criminality made against him in the petition.