PEPC strikes out APM’s petition against Tinubu, Shettima

The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) sitting in Abuja on Wednesday September 6 struck out the double nomination suit against Vice President Kashim Shettima.

Shettima was the running mate to President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The five-member court held that the suit filed by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) lack merit.

APM had sought to invalidate the election of President Tinubu on account of double nomination of Shettima as both senatorial and vice presidential candidate.

The judgement was delivered by the chairman of the tribunal, Justice Haruna Tsammani. Other members of the panel are: Justices Stephen Adah, Monsurat Bolaji-Yusuf, Moses Ugo, and Abba Mohammed.

The PEPC held that the issue of nomination is a pre-election matter outside the scope of the court’s jurisdiction.

The PEPC upheld the preliminary objections raised against the competence of the petition by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the All Progressives Congress (APC), President Bola Tinubu, Kashim Shettima and Kabir Masari the placeholder.

Justice Haruna Tsammani, who read the lead ruling, stated that the petitioner has no locus standi to have initiated the case.

The judge held that there is no provision in the law for another party to intervene in the process adopted by another party in the nomination of its candidate.

Justice Tsammani declared that invalid nomination or double nomination is not sufficient ground for disqualification in respect of presidential election as provided in sections 131 and 137 of the Constitutional.

The Star