On Wednesday afternoon, the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal dismissed the ruling All Progressives Congress’ suit challenging the eligibility of the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to run in the 2023 general election.
The APC had declared Obi’s membership in the LP incompetent.
Justice Abba Mohammed, a member of the five-member panel that read the lead opinion, stated that political party membership is an internal matter.
President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima argued that they had the locus standi to file the case because Obi just joined the LP a few days before the election, rather than the required 30 days.
However, the court ruled that it was not Tinubu and Shettima’s prerogative.
Mohammed said, “The issue of membership of a political party is an internal party affair.”
