The Presidential Election Petitions Court has ruled in favor of President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, dismissing allegations of criminal convictions and money laundering brought forth by the Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

A five-man panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani delivered the verdict, stating that the petitioners, Obi and the LP, failed to provide substantial evidence of President Tinubu’s alleged criminal activities. 

The petitioners had accused Tinubu of involvement in drug trafficking and money laundering, citing the forfeiture of $460,000 in the United States over three decades ago as evidence.

However, the tribunal ruled that no criminal charges had been filed against Tinubu in the United States, and he had not undergone a criminal trial in American courts. 

It was determined that the allegations brought up in the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, where the forfeiture took place, did not constitute a criminal case.

Justice Tsammani clarified, “The ex-governor of Lagos State was not convicted of any crime or any criminal activity, and no sentence of imprisonment or fine was imposed on him.” This verdict, according to Section 137 of the constitution, means that President Tinubu remains eligible to contest the presidential poll.

Furthermore, the tribunal also ruled on the contentious issue of the mode of transmission of election results during the presidential election on February 25, 2023. 

It upheld the authority of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to determine the manner in which election results are transmitted during the poll. 

The panel cited Sections 52 and 65 of the Electoral Act 2022 as the basis for INEC’s discretion in this matter.

As a result of these rulings, the LP’s and Obi’s petitions were dismissed. They had argued for the annulment of President Tinubu’s victory based on what they deemed a “failure” of the commission’s Results Viewing Portal to upload election results electronically in real-time.

Additionally, the tribunal dismissed the LP and Obi’s petitions challenging the 25 percent votes President Tinubu received in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), emphasizing that Abuja should be treated similarly to other states in this regard.