The opposition Labour Party candidate in Nigeria, Peter Obi, has filed a court lawsuit challenging last month’s disputed presidential election, according to the party, starting off what could be a lengthy legal battle spanning several months.
There have been numerous legal challenges to previous Nigerian presidential election results, but none have been successful.
Obi campaigned as an outsider, galvanising young and first-time voters, and looked to widen the battle, bolstering some voters’ hopes for change following years of misery and violence under departing President Muhammadu Buhari, an army general.
However, Obi finished third, after winner Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar, both of whom had huge political machines and decades of networking behind them.
Since the end of military rule in 1999, the APC and PDP have ruled Nigeria.
“We are 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,” Labour Party spokesperson Yunusa Tanko told Reuters.
Election observers from the European Union, the Commonwealth, and other organisations reported a variety of issues, including malfunctions in systems designed to prevent vote tampering.
The observers criticised the electoral commission for inadequate planning and voting delays, but they made no accusations of fraud. The commission itself apologised for the technological difficulties encountered during the count.
The Appeals Court will convene as a panel and will have 180 days to hear and rule on Obi’s case. Atiku has also stated that he will submit a petition with the court, and he has till Wednesday midnight to do so.
If a candidate is dissatisfied with the verdict of the tribunal, they can file an appeal with the Supreme Court, which will hear the case within 60 days.
