THE Lamidi Apapa-led faction of the Labour Party (LP) on Saturday congratulated President Bola Tinubu after the Supreme Court upheld his victory.
The faction also mocked the party’s presidential candidate in the February 25 election, Peter Obi.
According to a statement on Saturday, October 28, by the faction’s spokesperson, Abayomi Arabambi, Apapa said Obi’s petition was dismissed “in less than 120 seconds” because it was “frivolous and bland.”
On Thursday, October 26, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal filed by the presidential candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and Obi against Tinubu in the February 25 election.
Congratulating Tinubu, the LP faction said his victory was well-deserved having proven his case beyond reasonable doubt.
Part of the statement reads, “The victory has now settled all the controversies that arose from the February 25th presidential and National Assembly Election. It is our hope that the President will be magnanimous in victory by inviting the Labour Party’s leadership as a partner in progress to his all-inclusive government of national unity.”
Obi and Abubakar had dragged Tinubu to the Supreme Court over the presidential election result.
Dissatisfied by the verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) in September, the petitioners approached the Supreme Court, seeking the nullification of Tinubu’s election on the grounds of double nomination, alleged certificate forgery, non-transmission of results electronically, 25 per cent votes in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), amongst others.
However, on Thursday, October 26, the Justice John Okoro-led panel of the apex court threw out all the appeals for lacking merit and upheld Tinubu’s victory.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.