Analysis of Atiku and Obi’s Petitions Against Tinubu
Upon reviewing the petitions filed against Bola Tinubu of APC by Abubakar Atiku of PDP and Peter Obi of Labour Party, I found that while Obi’s petition is 99 pages long, Atiku’s is 223 pages. At first glance, the length of these petitions may seem intimidating, but upon closer inspection, it is evident that the larger font size and repetitive nature of witness testimonies contribute to their length. In fact, two pages of the petitions are equivalent to one page in a standard non-fiction book.
In terms of substance, Atiku’s petition appears to be more grounded in specifics. He lists several infractions that invalidate Tinubu’s victory, alleging that Tinubu manipulated technology to his advantage, did not score at least 25% of votes in FCT Abuja, and was not qualified to run. On the other hand, Obi makes similar claims without specifying where the infractions occurred. While Atiku identifies polling units and blocked roads as evidence, Obi refers to states in general terms. However, it is possible that all of the evidence Obi submitted with the petition have these specific information.
What caught my attention in Atiku’s petition was Section 146, in which he claims that Tinubu was not qualified to contest the election in the first place. Surprisingly, Atiku did not provide any further details on this claim, which leads me to believe that he may have deliberately left it vague. It is possible that Atiku and his legal team plan to expose Tinubu’s drug case in the United States, certificate forgery, and age inconsistency in court. Obi, on the other hand, boldly refers to the narcotics trafficking fine imposed by the United States District Court on Tinubu as evidence to support his claim that Tinubu was not qualified to be on the ballot.
The prayers presented by Atiku and Obi in their petitions against Tinubu were quite similar, with both men seeking a declaration of victory in the elections. However, Atiku’s request is somewhat curious as he based it on the fact that Tinubu did not score the required 25% in the FCT, despite the fact that he himself did not meet this threshold. This could suggest that after proving his case Atiku expects to receive more votes in the FCT and banks on this to support his claim to victory.
Additionally, both Atiku and Obi requested that the court order a rerun of the election in the event that their first prayer is not answered in their favor. Atiku specifically requested a rerun between himself and Tinubu, while Obi requested a rerun that does not include Tinubu. Lastly, both men asked that in the absence of a favorable ruling on their previous requests, the court should order INEC to conduct a fresh election for all candidates.
These cases are certainly interesting, and it is noteworthy that Tinubu will be compelled to answer questions regarding his alleged narcotics and money laundering case in the US. Reports indicate that he has already traveled abroad for health reasons, and it remains to be seen whether this will be used as an excuse for him not to appear in court.
What is clear with these petitions is that the next few months will be full of anticipation and anxiety as the country follow the court proceedings closely.
Here is Abubakar Atiku’s petition. You can find Peter Obi’s own here.
