APC Responds to Petition Against Tinubu's Victory, Admits Forfeiture of Funds in 1993 Drug Case.

The Nigerian ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC), has responded to a petition filed by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, seeking the annulment of Bola Tinubu's victory in the February 25 election. The APC admitted that Tinubu forfeited the sum of $460,000 to the United States government in 1993 following a drug trafficking allegation, but clarified that the forfeiture was against accounts in Tinubu's name, not Tinubu himself.

Obi argued that Tinubu's forfeiture of funds to the US government over drug trafficking allegations shows he committed infractions that should disqualify him from running for office in Nigeria. However, the APC claimed that the funds were surrendered from ten bank accounts opened in Tinubu's or Compass Finance and Investment Co.'s name, and subject to a "civil forfeiture proceeding" in Case No. 93C4483. The APC added that the compromise terms leading to the forfeiture were preceded by an express admission on record that Tinubu did not admit to any drug-related or illicit conduct that fits into any of the grounds of disqualification to contest for the office of president of Nigeria at the February 25, 2023, general election.

The APC argued that Tinubu's forfeiture to the US government, which lasted 29 years, was no longer a valid basis for challenging his eligibility to run in the presidential election. It noted that the matter had been investigated before, and the American Consulate, Lagos, Nigeria, revealed that there was no record of any criminal arrest, warrant, and/or conviction regarding Tinubu. The APC also pointed out that the disqualification factors as stipulated by the Constitution only conceive of a conviction sentence or fine involving dishonesty, fraud, or contravention of the Code of Conduct as found by a court of competent jurisdiction or tribunal in Nigeria.

Is the APC's response to the petition filed by Peter Obi enough to clarify the nature of Tinubu's forfeiture to the US government and dispel any doubts regarding his eligibility to run for the presidency in Nigeria?