The Labour Party has tackled President Bola Tinubu over the statement credited to him in the final written address at the presidential election petition tribunal.
In the address Tinubu filed through his counsel, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), the urged the panel to dismiss the LP petition challenging his victory at the February 25 election for failing to secure 25 percent of the vote in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He said any misinterpretation of the status guiding the FCT would lead to anarchy in the country since FCT was regarded as the 37th state for electoral purposes.
However, in a statement issued by Labour Party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifor, the party told Tinubu that nullification of his victory by the tribunal would not create problems in the country.
The party stated that the president’s remark was not necessary since the matter was already in court.
The statement read: “We are worried that the statement which formed part of his (Tinubu) submissions and was contained in his final written address against the Labour Party’s petition pending at the PREPEC, and meant to be in the exclusive custody of the court was leaked to the media.
“We still do not know the reason behind this act of desperation, even when the matter is still pending in court. We will however be careful not to term the action as sub-judice.
“Having said that, the Labour Party thinks that the statement was unnecessary since the matter is already before the court, and going ahead to pontificate on it could be construed as interference in the duties and responsibilities of the judiciary.
“The truth of the matter is that there are no sentiments when it comes to matters of law. The law is the law and once the law has stipulated the manner and how a matter must be carried out, it must follow that pattern.
“If the law has stated the requirement that a presidential candidate must meet before he can be declared, there is no shortcut to it.
“Therefore, if the constitution which is the ground norm of the law in Nigeria has stated clearly that you must score at least 25 percent in FCT before the president can be declared, anything short of that cannot remedy it.
“We insist that no amount of threat from the APC on the judges in the tribunal can change the processes and requirements that the law has put in place. It must be followed and that is the position of the Labour Party.
“Let me assure the APC and their leaders that if there were no absurdity, chaos, and anarchy when they forced their way into power, Nigeria will still witness peace when they are eventually evicted from power.”
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