The Apex Court held that apart from the fact that PDP lacked requisite jurisdiction to institute the suit, the party also failed to provide scintilla of evidence that Shetima engaged in double nomination.

By Unino Chioma
Culled From Nigerian Lawyer

The Supreme Court has dismissed the suit seeking the disqualification of Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima as presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

A five-member panel of the Supreme Court held on Friday that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lacked the locus standi to institute the suit.

The panel said the PDP is not a member of the APC.

The Apex court agrees with the lower courts that the PDP lacks the locus Standi to institute the case.

Justice Adamu Jauro who read the Judgement, added that the PDP acted as meddlesome Interloper and a busy body as it is an internal affair of the APC.

A sum of Two Million Naira was awarded against the PDP, even as the suit was dismissed for lacking in merit.

The Supreme Court also agreed with Fagbemi SAN that no matter the pains of PDP on how APC conducted its primary election and nominated its candidates, PDP must remain onlooker.

“It is abundantly clear that the Appellant (PDP) in the totality of its position in the instant case, is peeping and poke nosing into the affairs of another party as a busy body and meddlesome interloper,” he said.

The Court held that the action of PDP was painful because it used the social media to set a booby trap for the Supreme Court to blackmail it.

It said this is most unfortunate, unwarranted and uncalled for.

The claim of PDP on the alleged double nomination of the Vice President-elect was described as most unfortunate and a clear deliberate mischief to mislead the Court and the country.

The PDP had claimed 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.

The opposition party argued that Shettima’s nomination to contest the position of vice-president and Borno central senatorial seat — at the same time — contravened the law.

The Apex Court held that apart from the fact that PDP lacked requisite jurisdiction to institute the suit, the party also failed to provide scintilla of evidence that Shetima engaged in double nomination.

Culled From: Nigerian Lawyer