Tinubu: I don't require 25% of votes from FCT to win, it's not a special case.

 Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, has stated that it is not mandatory for a candidate to

score 25% of the votes in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in order to become president. Tinubu's stance was outlined in a preliminary objection filed against a petition by the Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, at the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal in Abuja. The LP, along with several other political parties, has argued that Tinubu and the APC did not secure the 25% of total votes cast in the FCT, as required by Section 134(2)(b) of the Nigerian Constitution, and were therefore ineligible to be declared president.

 

Tinubu's legal team, led by Wole Olanipekun (SAN), responded by stating that the Nigerian electoral system is not based on an electoral college, specifically as it relates to the FCT. The legal team argued that FCT residents do not have any privileges or advantages that are not accorded to citizens of Nigeria from other communities, ethnic groups, and places of origin. Tinubu further noted that the FCT was created by adjusting boundaries and excising land from neighboring states such as Kwara, Niger, Plateau, and Kaduna.

 

Tinubu also maintained that a United States District Court order, which had ordered the forfeiture of $460,000 in his Heritage Bank account linked to narcotics and money laundering allegations, cannot be enforced in Nigeria as it was not an offense created by an Act of the National Assembly. Tinubu argued that the petition by the LP and its presidential candidate had failed to disclose any disqualifying factors as prescribed by Section 137(1)(d) and (e) of the Nigerian Constitution.

 

In related news, the governor of Benue State, who had challenged the outcome of the state's gubernatorial election, withdrew the case in the interest of peace. However, the PDP governorship candidate in the state vowed to reclaim his mandate in court.