Four presidential candidates appeared before the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal in Abuja on Tuesday, each filing separate petitions seeking to nullify the declaration of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the February 25 presidential election. The petitioners were Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), Solomon Okangbuan of the Action Alliance (AA), and Princess Chichi Ojei of the Allied People’s Movement (APM). Atiku placed second with 6,984,520 votes, while Obi came third with 6,101,533 votes.
Obi’s petition (CA/PEPC/03/2023) named INEC, Tinubu, his running mate Shettima Kashim, and the APC as respondents. He argued that Tinubu “was not duly elected by a majority of the lawful votes cast at the time of the election” and alleged rigging in eleven states. Obi claimed that the computation and declaration of results violated legitimate procedures, disadvantaging him in Rivers, Lagos, Taraba, Benue, Adamawa, Imo, Bauchi, Borno, Kaduna, Plateau, and other states. He further contended that INEC breached its own regulations by announcing results before all polling‑unit data had been fully scanned, uploaded, and transmitted electronically as required by the Electoral Act.
Among the reliefs sought, Obi and the LP asked the tribunal to declare that Tinubu and Shettima were not qualified to contest the election, to deem all votes cast for Tinubu “wasted,” and to recognize Obi as the winner based on the remaining lawful votes. They also requested that the tribunal find Tinubu ineligible because he failed to secure at least 25 % of the votes in the Federal Capital Territory, and to order a fresh election in which Tinubu, Shettima, and the APC would be barred from participation. The tribunal has not yet set a hearing date for the petition filed by lead counsel Livy Ozoukwu.
Atiku’s petition (CA/PEPC/05/2023) similarly named INEC, Tinubu, and the APC as respondents. Silas Onu of Atiku’s legal team confirmed the filing to Channels TV on Tuesday. The petition essentially seeks to nullify Tinubu’s victory.
When approached for comment, INEC Chief Press Secretary Rotimi Oyekanmi said the commission does not comment on cases filed by political parties. APC Presidential Campaign Council spokesman Festus Keyamo stated that the APC would not respond to the LP’s petition because the matter is now before the court, adding that “the argument now officially shifts to court.”
The Action Alliance and its candidate Solomon Okangbuan, as well as the Allied People’s Movement and its candidate Princess Chichi Ojei, also lodged separate petitions (CA/PEPC/03/2023 and CA/PEPC/04/2023). Both challengers allege substantial non‑compliance with electoral laws and INEC guidelines. The AA claims its candidate was excluded, warranting a void election, while the APM argues that Tinubu was ineligible to contest under sections 131(c) and 142 of the Constitution and section 35 of the Electoral Act 2022.
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