Buhari’s ex-minister, Nwajiuba, seeks Tinubu’s disqualification

The immediate past Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, has filed a suit before a Federal High Court in Abuja seeking an order to nullify the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, as the party’s standard-bearer.

Nwajiuba, who filed the suit alongside a group, Incorporated Trustees of Rights for All International, accused Tinubu of bribing delegates with dollars.

The plaintiffs are also praying for the cancellation of the votes garnered by Tinubu and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.

The first to sixth defendants in the case with suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/942/22 are the APC, the PDP, Tinubu, Atiku, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Nwajiuba, who vied for the APC’s presidential ticket, polled only one vote at the June 8 primaries held in Abuja.

The Star recalls that Tinubu, defeated 13 other aspirants, including Nwajiuba, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, to clinch the APC ticket for the 2023 presidential election.

Tinubu, one of the national leaders of the ruling party, polled 1,271 votes to defeat his closest rival, former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who got 316 votes.

However, the plaintiffs, in the suit, also attached a video showing the immediate past Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, lamenting that delegates to the APC primary sold their votes as evidence.

Based on the evidence, Nwajiuba and RAI presented 25 issues for determination by the court.

The ex-minister asked the court to determine whether the composition of the delegates contravened Article 11(A) 12(1) and 13(1) of the constitution of the APC.

Nwajiuba also asked the court to determine if the composition of the delegates at the PDP primary contravened Section 33(1) and (5) (c) of the constitution of the party.

The plaintiffs prayed the court to determine whether having regard to the clear unambiguous and express provisions and tenor of Sections 6(6) (A) (B) and (C) read alongside Section 15(5) of the 1999 Constitution, the court has the inherent judicial powers to nullify, cancel and declare as illegal the Presidential primaries of the APC and the PDP.

The former minister further asked the court to determine if all the votes cast in favour of Tinubu and Atiku at the special national convention of the APC and PDP are illegal, null and void, and of no effect whatsoever on the grounds of corruption and selling of delegate votes and voter inducement.

He equally prayed the court to decide if having regard to the express provisions of paragraphs 1 and 8 of the 5th schedule of the 1999 Constitution, the corrupt conducts of the “third defendant (Tinubu) and the 4th defendant (Atiku) in buying votes and corruptly inducing delegates with dollars and naira in various sums to secure their votes at the special national convention… disqualifies them from further seeking, contesting and holding the office of the President.”

Nwajiuba specifically asked the court to rule that Atiku and Tinubu along with their agents bribed delegates with dollars and that the votes they got should be declared illegal.

The plaintiffs are seeking a “declaration that the conduct of the 3rd (Tinubu) and 4th (Atiku) defendants who by way of corrupt inducements of delegates with US dollars which being a foreign currency and non-legal tender in Nigeria under the CBN Act… used the dollars for the inducement of votes in favour of the 3rd (Tinubu) and 4th (Atiku) defendants has rendered the votes they scored at the special convention of the 1st defendant (APC) and the 2nd defendant (PDP) illegal, void and invalid and of no effect whatsoever and thus inhibiting (Tinubu and Atiku) from benefiting from the proceeds of their gross illegalities.”

They are also seeking an order “returning the 2nd plaintiff (Nwajiuba) as the duly elected/nominated Presidential candidate of the 1st defendant (APC) being that by the operation of Section 90(3), the 2nd plaintiff, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, is the only contestant out of the 10 contestants whose source of N100m is verified and complied with in the Electoral Act as contained in the print out of the names of the bank statement.”

The Star