The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) has struck out the Petition filed by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) to seek the nullification of the election of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima as president and vice-president respectively in the February 25 election.
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At the tribunal sitting which began at exactly 9:27 am on Wednesday, the PEPC Chairman Justice Haruna Tsammani, ruled that the APM’s petition lacked merit. He held that the issue of disqualification of a candidate is a pre-election matter and ought to have been addressed at the Federal High Court.
Justice Haruna, who read the ruling, upheld the preliminary objections earlier raised by the respondents to the petition. He noted that since the petition centered on the qualification or otherwise of President Tinubu to contest the presidential election that was held on February 25, APM ought to have gone to court within 14 days after Tinubu was nominated by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He further held that since the case bordered on a pre-election matter, the petitioner (APM) had no locus standi to challenge the nomination of Tinubu and Shettima since it is not a member of the political party.
“The disqualification of Shettima, being a pre-election matter ought to have been ventilated at the Federal High Court before the election. It lacks merit and ought to be struck out,” Justice Tsammani stated.
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