BREAKING: Tribunal Dismisses Petition Against Tinubu, Shettima

The Presidential Election Petition Court has struck out the Allied Peoples Movement petitions against President Bola Tinubu and his Vice President, Kashim Shettima.

The PEPC dismissed and described APM’s case filed to nullify Tinubu’s election as “incompetent”.

The court held that issues raised by the APM in its petition contained pre-election matters that could only be determined by the Federal High Court.

Chairman of the panel, Justice Haruna Tsammani, read the ruling.

The tribunal also dismissed the APM petition against the Independent National Electoral Commission and four others.

Listed as 1st to 5th respondents are INEC, All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, Kashim Shettima and Kabiru Masari.

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The tribunal ruled on each of the arguments put forward by APM.

Tsammani said the petitioners failed to prove their arguments and the petition was void of merits.

The judge also upheld preliminary objections raised by all the Respondents to challenge the competence of the petition.

Tsammani held that since the petition centered on the qualification or otherwise of Tinubu to contest the presidential election, the APM ought to have gone to court within 14 days after Tinubu was nominated by the APC.

He held that since the cause of action bordered on a pre-election matter, the APM lacked the locus standi to challenge Tinubu’s nomination.

Justice Tsammani also held that the petitioner lacked the locus standi to have brought the petition because the law did not allow a political party to query the process adopted by another political party in nominating its candidate. The PEPC Chairman held that invalid nomination or double nomination did not qualify as a ground for disqualification in respect of the presidential election as provided in sections 131 and 137 of the Constitutional. He also held that Masari, who was nominated as a placeholder by the APC (for the position of the Vice President) was not necessarily party to the petition because he was neither a candidate nor did he win the election. Justice Tsammani also found that Masari was not a necessary party because no claim was raised against him by the petitioner.

He is currently considering the petition on merit.