Fact check: Has Supreme Court ruled in favour of Peter Obi regarding 25% of FCT votes?

• A video circulating on Facebook claims that the Supreme Court docket has ruled in favour of the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, regarding the 25% of FCT votes controversy
• On the opposite hand, Legit.ng’s findings and Africa Test confirmed that this articulate is wrong as Obi’s petition is restful with the Presidential Election Tribunal and has no longer yet reached the Supreme Court docket
• The video also references a TV interview with Michael Aondoakaa, the authorized legitimate-overall of the federation, by which he discussed the Supreme Court docket’s 2008 interpretation of section 133 of the Nigerian Structure

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A viral video posted on Facebook alleged that Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, who’s contesting the implications of the February 25, 2023 election, has got a advisable ruling from the Supreme Court docket.

Obi’s petition to the presidential election tribunal involves a build a question to that Bola Tinubu, who ran beneath the All Progressives Congress, no longer be declared president-elect due to the his failure to stable 25% of the votes within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, as allegedly mandated by the Nigerian constitution.

“25% of FCT: Supreme Court docket of Nigeria has ruled in favour of Peter Obi. INEC to withdraw Tinubu – Benedict,” the caption to the video reads. It involves a video by which the articulate used to be repeated.

Africa Test’s findings advise that the same video looks on Facebook right here, right here and right here, and a extremely equivalent version with the same articulate right here and right here.

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While Obi obtained the FCT with 59% of the votes, Tinubu came 2nd with 19% of the votes.

The video commentator mentions a TV interview from March 2023 that contains Michael Aondoakaa, the previous justice minister and authorized legitimate-overall of the federation.

For the interval of the interview, Aondoakaa discussed the Supreme Court docket’s 2008 interpretation of section 133 of the Nigerian Structure, a controversial topic.

This section says:

“A candidate for an election to the articulate of labor of President would possibly per chance be deemed to had been duly elected to such articulate of labor the establish, being the entirely candidate nominated for the election – (a) he has a majority of YES votes over NO votes solid at the election; and (b) he has no longer lower than one-quarter of the votes solid at the election in every of at the very least two-thirds of the total States within the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.”

The 25% in FCT controversy

In 2023, the raging debate has centred round whether or no longer a presidential candidate must stable as a minimum 25% of the vote in Abuja, as effectively as in at the very least two-thirds of all states.

Aondoakaa remarked that the Supreme Court docket’s 2008 interpretation of the topic implies that obtaining 25% of the votes in Abuja is mandatory. On the opposite hand, he added that this interpretation used to be made 14 years within the past, and the court docket would possibly per chance per chance well maybe also wish to revisit it.

On the opposite hand, whether or no longer the 25% of the vote is compulsory or no longer, the Supreme Court docket has no longer ruled on Obi’s petition.

On the time of publication, Legit.ng‘s findings advise that the Labour Party’s petition is restful with the Presidential Election Tribunal. It has no longer reached the Supreme Court docket, and so the court docket couldn’t receive ruled on it.

Subsequently, the articulate within the viral video is wrong, Africa Test also confirmed.

To apply the tribunal’s lawsuits on Obi’s petition, apply Legit.ng’s dwell updates.

25% of FCT votes wished to get presidential election? INEC reveals legitimate articulate

In the meantime, Legit.ng earlier reported that the Fair Nationwide Electoral Rate (INEC) stated a candidate is no longer required to stable 25% of votes within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to be declared winner of a presidential poll.

This used to be contained in a preliminary counter-suit filed by the electoral body earlier than the tribunal on Tuesday, April 11.

As contained within the suit, INEC confirmed that the president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, met the total requirements that ended in his declaration as winner of the keenly contested 2023 presidential poll.

Source: Legit.ng