May 29 presidential inauguration: Tinubu sends invitation letter to Peter Obi, allocates to him seat no 101 at VIP pavilion

Preparations for the May 29 presidential inauguration have moved up a notch with the extension of invitation to prominent Nigerians and global citizens to attend the consequential event.

On that date, the eight-year presidency of Muhammadu Buhari will come tk a terminus. He will hand over the baton of leadership to president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC).

One of the prominent guests to whom invitation letters had been sent is the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), in the February 25, 2023 poll, Mr Peter Obi.

In the invitation letter, which included an embossed card, the LP presidential candidate was assigned Seat No. 101 at the VIP Pavilion for the May 29 special event, which is expected to witness a colourful combined military and para-military parade and other displays.

The letter of invitation stated; “The Presidential Inaugural Committee is honoured to announce the inauguration of Bola A. Tinubu as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Kashim Shettima M. as Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Monday, the twenty-ninth May two thousand and twenty-three.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), had declared Tinubu as winner of the presidential election having polled a total of 8,794,726 votes with Atiku Abuibakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) securing 6,984,520 voted and Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party garnering 6,101,533 votes.

Following the declaration of Tinubu as winner of the election by INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Mr. Peter Obi and his party filed a petition at the presidential election tribunal challenging Tinubu and the APC’s victory.

Obi specifically asked the Election Tribunal to direct INEC to present him with a certificate of return as the duly elected President of Nigeria instead of Tinubu having secured the majority of the votes cast in the election.

In the petition, Obi’s legal counsel, Livy Ozoukwu told the tribunal that Tinubu was not qualified to contest the election and was not duly elected by a majority of the lawful votes cast at the time of the election.

Obi’s petition read in part; “That it be determined that the 2nd respondent (Tinubu) having failed to score one-quarter of the votes cast at the presidential election in the federal capital territory, Abuja was not entitled to be declared and returned as the winner of the presidential election held on 25 February 2023.

“That it be determined that on the basis of the remaining votes (after discountenancing the votes credited to the 2nd respondent) the 1st petitioner scored a majority of the lawful votes cast at the election and had not less than 25% of the votes cast in each of at least 2/3 of the states of the federation, and the federal capital territory, Abuja and satisfied the constitutional requirements to be declared the winner of the 25th February 2023 Presidential election.”