The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) has reserved its judgment on the petition filed by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) challenging the election of Mr. Tinubu.
The APM seeks to nullify Tinubu’s election on the grounds that his running mate, Kashim Shettma, was not qualified to contest due to his alleged engagement in double nomination.
The respondents in the suit include the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the All Progressives Party (APC), Mr. Tinubu, his vice, Mr. Shettima, and the purported placeholder, Mr. Kabiru Masari.
During the resumed proceedings on Friday, all parties involved adopted their final written addresses. The chairman of the panel, Justice Haruna Tsammani, announced that the judgment would be reserved until a later date to be communicated to all parties.
APM, represented by its counsel, Andrew Malgwu (SAN), urged the court to invoke relevant laws and invalidate the nominations of Tinubu and his vice, Mr. Shettima. In response, the first respondent, INEC, requested the court to dismiss the petition for lacking merit.
The counsel for the APC, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), also asked the court to dismiss the petition on all grounds, arguing that it was frivolous. Fagbemi contended that the petition was rendered null and void by a Supreme Court judgment, which affirmed that political parties have no right to interfere in the internal affairs of another party or its candidate nominations.
Furthermore, the counsel for the president and his vice, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), argued that the APM’s petition should not have been filed in the first place and demanded its outright dismissal. Olanipekun maintained that the petitioner should have withdrawn the case after the Supreme Court’s judgment in a similar case brought by the Peoples Democratic Party against the same defendants.
Justice Haruna Tsammani, the presiding judge, subsequently adjourned the judgment indefinitely and promised to communicate the date once it is ready.
APM contends that the election of Mr. Tinubu should be nullified due to the alleged unlawful double nomination of his running mate, Shettima, for two different constituencies.
The party argues that Shettima and the APC violated the Electoral Act by engaging in this alleged double nomination. Shettima was initially nominated as the candidate for Borno Central Senatorial District, but he was later nominated as the Vice Presidential candidate following the withdrawal of Mr. Kabiru Masari, who was initially selected as Tinubu’s running mate.
The judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Court will have significant implications for the political landscape, and it is eagerly awaited by all parties involved in the case.
Comments are closed.