JUST IN: The Labour Party responds to the PDP’s attempt to drag Peter Obi into court.

Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports.

The Labour Party has filed a response to a lawsuit seeking to bar its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, from running in the 2023 elections.

The Peoples Democratic Party, Nigeria’s main opposition party, has filed a lawsuit against the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to prevent Obi and the ruling All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, from selecting new running mates.

The PDP also asked the court to rule that Tinubu and Obi be barred from running for office unless they are joined by their former running mates, Kabiru Masari and Doyin Okupe.

The PDP is requesting an injunction to prevent the Independent National Electoral Commission from replacing Tinubu and Obi’s running mates in the originating summons, which has the case number FHC/ABJ/CS/1016/2022. The first to seventh respondents in the case are INEC, APC, Tinubu, Masari, Labour Party, Obi, and Okupe.

The PDP asked the court to rule on whether Tinubu and Obi are bound by Masari and Okupe’s submission as running mates under the combined interpretation of Section 142(1) of the constitution, Sections 29(1), 31, and 33 of the Electoral Act 2022, and INEC’s timetable.

Alex Ejesieme, the Labour Party’s lawyer, confirmed the suit, saying, “I have received the processes and we are already filing a response.”