Another suit is on at a Kano State High Court to invalidate all the elections won by the Labour Party in the 2023 general election.
By Israel Okah
The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal sitting at the Court of Appeal headquarters Abuja, on Wednesday, May 17, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to produce 100 percent evidence of how it arrived at the final result of the presidential election held on February 25, 2023 on Thursday as pre-hearing continued.
The Commission had been foot dragging on the request since Labour Party made the application. The Court had ordered them to provide the complete data they used to declare Tinubu the winner of the February 25 presidential election.
Last week, INEC failed to provide the data and rather swore to an affidavit to that effect.
Livy Uzoukwu, SAN, lead counsel for Peter Obi, the Labour party presidential candidate, had last week prayed the Court to adjourn to May 17 so that all parties, especially INEC, can provide all their evidence as required to avoid going back and forth.
All the parties agreed and the case was adjourned to Wednesday.
However, within the ‘break’, the INEC could only provide 28 percent of the data it used to declare Tinubu winner.
On Wednesday, Uzoukwu informed the Court that INEC had provided only 28 percent of the required evidence. He said they were ready to pay the fees the Commission was asking for but they must provide 100 percent of the evidence, or the case would not proceed.
The INEC lawyer prayed that the case should continue since they had provided something and that Peter Obi should manage what he has and proceed with the petition.
Labour Party Lawyer refused and insisted INEC must provide the data by Friday since the matter was time bound.
Tinubu’s lawyer objected and prayed that they be given enough time so they could meet one another and reconcile the issues.
The Judge ignored his request and ordered INEC to come to Court on Friday, May 19, with the 100 percent data.
The highlight of Wednesday’s sitting was the gate crashing of Lamido Apapa, suspended national deputy chairman of the party. He announced himself as the the representative of Labour Party while the national women leader was also representing the party. Faced with the stalemate, the Judge ruled that none of the two groups would be recognised as the official representative of the party.
When the court adjourned, Apapa was manhandled by Labour Party supporters and had to be rescued by policemen. His cap was removed amidst boos and shouts of ole! Ole! Ole! (Thief Thief! Thief!)
His scheduled press conference could not hold. However, he blamed Peter Obi for the leadership tussle in Labour. He said that Obi’s continued disregard for a court ruling in his favour is the cause of the crisis.
Apapa is alleged to have been recruited by Tinubu to disrupt Labour Party and withdraw its petition against Tinubu’s declaration as president-elect.
Apapa and his group are suspected to be under the sponsorship of APC. They now fly around the country, stay in big hotels and engage top lawyers to institute cases on their behalf without any known previous group income.
As the Tribunal case was on, the Apapa group attempted to procure a court ruling in Kano on Wednesday.
Labour Party said in a statement by Obiora Ifo, acting national publicity secretary, that an attempt was made by the Apapa dissident group “to misguide a Kano state High court to invalidate all the elections won by the Labour Party in the just concluded general election.”
Samuel Akingbade Oyelekan, suspended National Legal Adviser and a key member of the Apapa group, on Wednesday clandestinely sneaked out of Abuja to Kano State where he in collaboration with some members of other political parties asked the court to invalidate all the elections won by the Labour Party, particularly, the national assembly in the 36 states and FCT on the ground that they did not submit register of voters to INEC.
Akingbade presented himself as representing Labour Party, and did not oppose the motion, thus forcing the helpless judge to reserve judgement for Thursday.
Ifo said Labour Party will be in the Court today. “Though, the party will appear before the court on Thursday to set aside the proceedings, we have earlier raised the alarm of the plots by the opposition parties to ensure that Labour Party is reduced to the rubbles. Few weeks ago, we alerted Nigerians of plots to hijack the party and by extension, target all our cases in the tribunal. We have since produced evidences of the letters initiated by Akingbade to various tribunals asking for withdrawal of cases before them.
“We are using this medium to alert the judiciary and all law enforcement agencies, particularly, the police, DSS to note that Samuel Akingbade, Lamidi Apapa, Abayomi Arabambi and everyone in that camp have ceased to be representing Labour Party in whatever capacity. This statement serves as a disclaimer on them and for the information of Nigerians.
“These agents have taken their hatchet job to a new level and will stop at nothing in doing their paymaster’s bid to truncate our case in various tribunals. Nigerians must be on alert and join forces in ensuring that all the anti Democratic forces in our midst are subdued.”
As the case against Tinubu’s declaration as winner gets stronger daily with factual revelations of gruesome rigging in many states, there is increased desperation to destroy Labour Party so the case may die off.
But Obi is too smart for that. He made himself a party to the case. This way, no matter what fate befalls Labour Party, he can see his case to the end without any one withdrawing it.
