In the ongoing presidential election petition court, the star witness for President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima’s defense made a significant revelation.

The witness, newly appointed Senate majority leader Bamidele Opeyemi, stated that Peter Obi, the former member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was still affiliated with the party until May 25, 2022. This statement is crucial because the Labour Party had submitted its membership register to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on April 30, 2022, as required by law.

According to section 99 (2&3) of the Electoral Act, political parties are obligated to submit their party’s register no later than 30 days before their convention and primary election. The Labour Party conducted its primaries on May 30, meaning they would have submitted their register to INEC by April 30. During this period, Peter Obi was still a member of the PDP in Anambra State.

Based on this information, the legal team representing Tinubu and Shettima argued that Obi’s membership in the Labour Party was invalid. They contended that his name could not have been on the list submitted to INEC, thereby questioning the validity of his participation in the party’s presidential nomination.

The tribunal, responsible for hearing the defense of the respondents in the petitions regarding the conduct and outcome of the February 25 presidential election, began proceedings on July 3. During the initial stages of the hearing, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Mr. Tinubu’s lawyer presented a robust defense to protect their victory.