PEPC strikes out parts of petition by Obi, LP

The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) has struck out about 17 paragraphs of the petition by Peter Obi and the Labour Party (LP) for containing vague and generic allegations.

In a ruling on some motions filed by the respondents to the petition, the court held that in the affected paragraphs, the petitioners made allegations of malpractices and irregularities in the conduct of the election, but failed to provide specific details in support of the allegations.

The court noted, for instance, that the petitioners failed to show which polling units the malpractices alleged occurred; the number of votes affected; and their polling unit agents who reported the alleged irregularities and malpractices, among others.

It rejected the respondents’ argument that Obi was not a member of the LP at the time of the election, noting that membership is an internal affair of a political party, which has the sole power to determine who its members are.

The court held that it did not lie with the respondents to question Obi’s membership of the LP.

The court also faulted the contention that Atiku Abubakar and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who came second in the election, were necessary parties that ought to be joined in the petition.

Respondents to the petition are INEC, President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettma and the APC.