Nigeria: Obi Petitions Court Over Disputed Presidential Election

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Facts

  • Peter Obi, Nigeria’s opposition Labor Party candidate, filed a formal court petition on Tuesday to challenge the outcome of last month’s presidential election.1
  • Labour Party spokesperson Yunusa Tanko told journalists on Tuesday that the party is "challenging the qualifications of the candidate that was declared the winner. We are also challenging the processes that led to his declaration as the winner, among others.”2
  • Obi, who finished third in last month's presidential race, has asked the court to declare him the winner and revoke winner Bola Tinubu’s victory, arguing among other complaints that Tinubu was not qualified to run because he does not meet the minimum educational requirements.3
  • Election observers from the European Union, the Commonwealth, and other groups have criticized a number of issues with the election, including a lack of oversight to prevent vote manipulation, poor planning, and voting delays. However, the observers have not made any fraud claims.4
  • The Appeals Court has 180 days to hear and make a ruling on Obi's challenge. If Obi is unsatisfied with the outcome of the appeals court, he can take the challenge to the Supreme Court, which will deliberate on an appeal within 60 days.4
  • The Supreme Court of Nigeria has never overturned an election result, but legal challenges are fairly common. If no change in election results occurs, Tinubu will be sworn in as president on May 29.2

Sources: 1Vanguard News, 2Al Jazeera, 3Whio, and 4Reuters.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by CNN. The Labor Party will explore all legal and peaceful options to prove that Obi won the election. There were many issues with this year's election, and additional oversight is needed to check the election results. Tinubu is not qualified to be president.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Guardian. Tinubu has already been declared the winner of the Feb. presidential election and received the necessary number of votes. Political rivals of Tinubu and their supporters need to drop these ridiculous challenges and join together to strengthen the nation.