Toba Owojaiye reporting
The Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has received a stern piece of advice regarding his appeal of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) judgment against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Critics have pointed out significant shortcomings in Obi’s legal team’s presentation of facts and evidence at the Tribunal, leading to a disappointing outcome for the party and its candidate.
Chairman of the Labour Party, Hon Dienye Pepple, firmly conveyed that Obi’s determination to appeal the initial judgment was an ill-advised decision, likely resulting in a futile expenditure of time, energy, and resources.
Pepple emphasized that while every party has the right to appeal, a thorough analysis of the Tribunal’s judgment revealed the party’s failure to adequately present its case. He stated, “Yes, we have a lot of evidences, but those evidences were not well registered at the tribunal. The lawyers of Peter Obi and that of the Labour Party did not do their jobs effectively.” In essence, the court requires concrete facts to substantiate claims, not mere social media noise or public opinion.
Pepple expressed his lack of confidence in pursuing the case further, particularly in the Supreme Court, deeming it a futile endeavor. Additionally, he revealed issues with payment to the party’s agents, leading to their reluctance to testify. He went further to point fingers at the legal team and the former LP national chairman, Julius Abule, for undermining the party’s prospects in the court
He said “The legal team and Abule killed the chances of the party at the court”.
We are on standby for news from the court today