The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) has dismissed the petition filed by the Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, challenging the declaration of President Bola Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 presidential election.
The petitioners had argued that Tinubu failed to score 25% of the votes cast in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which they claimed was a mandatory requirement to win the election.
However, in a unanimous judgement delivered on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, the tribunal held that the FCT does not enjoy any special status and is equal to any other state in Nigeria.
The tribunal said that the constitution grants every Nigerian equal rights, including the right to vote, and that votes cast in the FCT do not carry any extra weight compared to those cast in other states.
The tribunal also dismissed the testimonies of three witnesses presented by the petitioners, who relied on forensic analyses and reports of international observers to allege irregularities and malpractices in the election.
