#PresidentialTribunal: Court throws out Obi’s claim that Tinubu not qualified over forfeiture of money in US

The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) on Wednesday threw out a petition by presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) Peter Obi on the educational qualification of President Bola Tinubu.

He had sought the approval of the tribunal to disqualify Tinubu on the ground that the president was not qualified to contest the February 25 election over forfeiture of money in US.

The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the presidential election.

But Obi’s lawsuit alleged that President Tinubu forfeited drug money in the US, an allegation the tribunal discountenanced, contending, that Tinubu had previously been cleared by the Nigerian Police Force of any criminal matters in the United States as a result of a police inquiry to American law enforcement.

The court further declared that Mr. Tinubu has no criminal case because he has been freed to enter and exit the United States.

The fact that Tinubu has been able to enter and leave the US was revealed by the court, indicating that he is not charged with any crimes, according to the tribunal.

In his decision, Tsammani stated that Tinubu was not a party to the civil proceedings in which the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ordered the forfeiture of Tinubu’s $460,000 in a drug-related matter.

The petitioners had argued that Tinubu had forfeited $460,000 in the US as a result of a drug trafficking conviction on the grounds of non-qualification due to an alleged criminal indictment.

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Justice Tsammani held that the petitioners failed to provide credible evidence to show that Tinubu was arraigned, took a plea or was sentenced or fined in any criminal suit in the US.

“The order of forfeiture in Exhibit P5 on which the petitioners have relied does not qualify as a sentence of fine for an offence involving dishonesty or fraud within the confabulation of Section 137(d) of the 1999 constitution,” Tsammani said.

Obi’s legal team led by Dr. Livy Uzoukwu SAN had alleged that Tinubu should be disqualified as a candidate in the election over a United States District Court judgment which forced him to forfeit $460,000 dollars suspected to be proceeds of drug trafficking,

But the judge observed that the case was a civil one, as stipulated by the 1999 Constitution, and not a criminal forfeiture.

Furthermore, the judge said a conviction by a court has elapsed after 10 years, according to the 1999 Constitution.

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