Appeal Court Dismisses Case Seeking Obi’s Disqualification for Lack of Merit

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has dismissed an appeal by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) seeking the disqualification of the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

The APM argued that Obi’s defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the LP violated sections 77(2) and (3) of the Electoral Act, 2022. They also claimed that Obi’s name was not on the list of LP party members submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), rendering him ineligible to contest the presidential election held on February 25, 2023. APM had requested that the court set aside the Federal High Court judgment that dismissed its suit challenging Obi’s candidacy. However, the Court of Appeal, in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel of Justices, dismissed the appeal for lacking merit.