President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima have presented compelling evidence to refute Peter Obi’s claim of being a registered member of the Labour Party. In response to Obi’s petition and that of the Labour Party, Tinubu and Shettima submitted the Labour Party membership register for Anambra State as proof of Obi’s ineligibility to contest the last presidential election under the party’s banner.
During the proceedings at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), 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), as supporting documents.
According to Tinubu and Shettima, Obi allegedly resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on May 26, 2022, and joined the Labour Party (LP) on May 27, 2022. They argued that the LP conducted its Presidential Primary election on May 30, 2022, where Obi emerged as the candidate for the general election.
The counsel representing Tinubu and Shettima highlighted Section 77(3) of the Electoral Act, which stipulates that the comprehensive register of party members must be submitted to INEC 30 days before the presidential primary. Based on this provision, the register should have been submitted to INEC on or before April 30, 2022.
They contended 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.
Obi’s defense argued that he was indeed a member of the PDP when he contested the presidential election under the LP.
Despite objections raised by the petitioners’ lawyer, Livy Uzoukwu (SAN), the court admitted the documents as Exhibits RA17 and RA18.