Presidential Tribunal Dismisses APM’s Petition Against Tinubu And Shettima

The Presidential Election Petition Court has struck out the petitions filed by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) against President Bola Tinubu and Vice President, Kashim Shettima.

The Tribunal said that APM’s petition questioning the eligibility of Tinubu and Shettima to contest the February 25, 2023 election is “devoid of any merit”.

Chairman of the panel, Justice Haruna Tsammani, who read the judgment, also dismissed the APM’s case aimed at nullifying Tinubu’s election, deeming it “incompetent.”

The judge held that the issues raised by APM in their petition pertained to pre-election matters, which only the Federal High Court had jurisdiction to determine.

Furthermore, the tribunal dismissed the APM’s petition against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and four others, listed as the 1st to 5th respondents: INEC, All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, Kashim Shettima, and Kabiru Masari.

Justice Tsammani addressed each argument presented by the APM, concluding that the petitioners failed to substantiate their claims, rendering the petition devoid of merit.

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

Justice Tsammani emphasized that since the APM’s petition concerned Tinubu’s qualification to contest the presidential election, they should have taken legal action within 14 days after Tinubu’s nomination by the APC.

He noted that, as the matter was related to a pre-election issue, the APM lacked the legal standing (locus standi) to challenge Tinubu’s nomination.

The judge further ruled that the law did not permit one political party to question the nomination process of another political party in selecting its candidate.

He also clarified that invalid nomination or double nomination did not qualify as grounds for disqualification in presidential elections, as provided in sections 131 and 137 of the Constitution.

KanyiDaily had also reported that the Justices of the Election Presidential Tribunal would also deliver judgment today on three petitions that are seeking to remove President Bola Tinubu from office.