…says PDP’s appeal lacked merit
The Supreme Court, has affirmed the eligibility of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to contest the presidential election that held on February 25.
The apex court, in a unanimous decision by a five-member panel, on Friday, held that an appeal the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, filed to challenge the legality of Tinubu’s candidacy, lacked merit.
PDP had in the appeal marked: SC/CV/501/2023, sought Tinubu’s disqualification on the premise that the Vice President-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima, allowed himself to be nominated for more than one constituency, ahead of the 2023 general elections.
It told the court that Shettima was nominated twice, both for the Borno Central Senatorial seat and for the Vice Presidential position.
PDP argued that Shettima’s dual nomination, was in gross breach of the provisions of Sections 29(1), 33, 35 and 84(1) and (2) of the Electoral Act, 2022, as amended.
Consequently, aside from praying the court to nullify Tinubu and Shettima’s candidacy, the Appellant equally applied for an order to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to expunge their names from the list of nominated or sponsored candidates that were eligible to contest the presidential poll.
Meanwhile, the apex court, in its lead judgement that was delivered by Justice Adamu Jauro, held that PDP lacked the locus standi (legal right) to interfere in affairs of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, which nominated both Tinubu and Shettima for the presidential election.
The apex court upheld the concurrent decisions of the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court in Abuja, which earlier dismissed PDP’s case.
While dismissing the appeal, the Supreme Court okayed N2million damages that was awarded against the PDP, in favour of the respondents.
Vanguard
