The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, on Thursday, reserved judgement on a suit the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, filed to disqualify the president-elect, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and his running mate, Kassim Shettima.
A three-member panel of Justices of the court adjourned to deliver its verdict on the appeal after all the parties adopted their final briefs of argument.
Specifically, the PDP is contending that the APC candidate, Tinubu, who was declared the winner of the presidential contest, was legally ineligible to participate in the poll.
It told the court that the manner the APC and Tinubu nominated Shettima as a Vice Presidential candidate for the election, was in gross breach of the provisions of Sections 29(1), 33, 35 and 84(1) and (2) of the Electoral Act, 2022, as amended.
According to the PDP, Shettima, was nominated twice, both for the Vice Presidential position, as well as for Borno Central Senatorial seat, an action it argued contravened the law.
Aside from asking the court to nullify Tinubu and Shettima’s candidacy, the appellant further sought an order to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to expunge their names from the list of nominated or sponsored candidates eligible to contest the election.
The PDP prayed the appellate court to set aside the January 13 judgement of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which dismissed legal issues it raised against the candidacy of both Tinubu and Shettima.
It argued that Justice Inyang Ekwo of the trial court erred in law and arrived at an unjust conclusion that paved way for the two Respondents to participate in the presidential election.
