Victor EzejaA Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Friday dismissed a suit by the Peoples Democratic Party seeking the disqualification of the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his running mate, Kassim Shettima, for the 2023 general elections.
The opposition party had on July 28, 2022, filed a suit challenging the validity of Tinubu/Shettima ticket in the contest of the 2023 presidential election.
In the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1734/2022, PDP had sued the Independent National Electoral Commission, the APC, Tinubu and Shettima as 1st to 4th defendants respectively.
The party sought an order disqualifying the APC, Tinubu and Shettima from contesting the presidential election scheduled for Feb. 25.
The PDP argued that Shettima’s nomination as Tinubu’s running mate was in breach of the provisions of Sections 29(1), 33, 35 and 84 (1) (2) of the Electoral Act, 2022 (as amended).
It further posited that Shettima’s nomination to contest the position of the vice president and Borno Central Senatorial seat breached the law.
However, Justice Inyang Ekwo, who delivered the judgment, dismissed the suit on the ground that the PDP lacked locus standi to file the action.
Ruling on the matter the judge described the suit as an abuse of court process.
Ekwo said the court found the action incompetent for lack of locus standi and that the matter bordered on the internal affairs of the APC in which the PDP had no legal right to file the case.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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