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Tinubu was a Drug Convict and should not be President – Labour Party tells Court

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Mr Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the February 25 elections, and his Labour Party has urged the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) to found that Mr Bola Tinubu, the candidate of the All-Progressives Congress (APC), was, at the time of the election, not qualified to contest the election.

In a petition filed Tuesday at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), Mr Obi told the court that the election of Tinubu was invalid by reason of corrupt practices or non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 by INEC.

The Petitioners further plead that the APC Candidate was at the time of the election not qualified to contest for election to the office of President as he was fined the sum of $460,000.00 (Four-Hundred and Sixty Thousand United States Dollars) for an offence involving dishonesty, namely narcotics trafficking imposed by the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, in Case No: 93C 4483 between:

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, – Plaintiff

v.

FUNDS IN ACCOUNT 263226700 HELD BY FIRST HERITAGE BANK, IN THE NAME OF BOLA TINUBU,

FUNDS IN ACCOUNTS 39483134, 39483396, 4650279566, 00400220, 39936404, 39936383 HELD BY CITIBANK, N.A., IN THE NAME OF BOLA TINUBU OR COMPASS FINANCE AND INVESTMENT CO.,

FUNDS IN ACCOUNTS 52050-89451952, 52050-89451952, 52050-89451953 HELD BY CITIBANK, INTERNATIONAL, IN THE NAME OF BOLA TINUBU – Defendants

In the Decree of Forfeiture, Judge John A. Nordberg in that said Case No: 93C 4483 ordered on October 4, l.993 on page 3 as follows:

“ORDERED that the funds in the amount of $460,000 in account 263226700 held by First Heritage Bank in the name of Bola Tinubu represent the proceeds of narcotics trafficking or were involved in financial transactions in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§1956 and 1957 and therefore these funds are forfeited to the United States pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 381(a)(6) and 18 U.S.C. §982; it is further

ORDERED that First Heritage Bank shall issue a check in the amount of $460,000 payable to Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and that these funds shall be disposed of according to law; it is further

ORDERD that the Court shall retain jurisdiction over this action in order to implement and enforce the terms of this Decree of Forfeiture.”

On Wednesday, March 1, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) President-elect.

Tinubu polled a total of 8,794,726 votes to defeat his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rival, Atiku Abubakar, who polled 6,984,520 votes while Peter Obi of the Labour Party, secured 6,101,533 votes, and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party trailed with 1,496,687 votes.

But the PDP and the LP have rejected the outcome of the election and headed to court to challenge Tinubu’s victory. The duo stated that due to the manifest non-compliance by INEC with the Electoral Act and specific requirements of the Regulations for the conduct of the Presidential election, by the INEC failing, refusing, and neglecting to instantly transmit and upload the result of that election electronically to the iRev from the BVAS, INEC violated the integrity and safety measures entrenched for the conduct of the said election.

However, with regards to Tinubu’s drug case, Obi and the Labour Party stated that the above US Court Orders were made pursuant to paragraph 5 of the “Stipulations and Compromise Settlement of Claims to the Funds held by Heritage Bank and Citibank” filed by the parties, which stated as follows:

“5. The parties further agree that $460,000 from the defendant account held by Heritage bank in the name of Bola Tinubu shall be forfeited by the United States and disposed of according to law. The funds remaining in the account shall be released to K.O. Tinubu.”

Mr Obi and the Labour Labour Party provided certified copies of the following documents to the election court, namely:

a) Verified Complaint for Forfeiture, submitted by Michael J. Shepard (United States Attorney) and signed by Marsha A. McClellan (Assistant United States Attorney);

b) Stipulations and Compromise Settlement of Claims to the Funds held by Heritage Bank and Citibank; and

c) Decree of Forfeiture as to Funds held by First Heritage Bank, signed by United States District Judge, John A. Nordberg.

They contend that by reason of the said disqualification of Bola Tinubu, the votes purportedly recorded for him in the election were/are wasted and invalid; and that Obi who from the correct result of the election obtained the highest number of lawful votes cast in the election and met the constitutional requirements to be declared and returned as the winner of the election, ought to be declared as the winner of the Presidential election held on the 25th February 2023.

No date has been fixed for the hearing at the Presidential Elections Court.

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