Judgement Day update: Court Strikes Out APM’s Suit Against Shettima, Tinubu

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The Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal, PEPT, sitting in Abuja Wednesday, struck out the suit filed by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) against Vice-President Kashim Shettima of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The APM in it’s petition before the tribunal, prayed the court to disqualify the candidacy of the vice president over double nomination in the 2023 general elections.

Recall that Shettima, before the elections, was nominated for a Senatorial election in Borno and later as a running mate to Tinubu for the presidency.

In a ruling by the Chairman of the panel, Justice Haruna Tsammani and citing provisions in sections 131 and 137 of the constitution, an invalid nomination or double nomination was not enough reason to disqualify the vice president in respect of the
presidential election.

Justice Tsammani also held that the Tribunal lacked jurisdiction to meddle in the issue of disqualification to question the nomination and declaration of Tinubu, Shetima and APC victory at the presidential election given that it was a pre-election matter which ought to have been taken to a Federal High Court and not a Tribunal.

The jury added that the APM lacked the the right to bring the petition before the court because its presidential candidate who stood for the presidential election along with Tinubu, was not part of the petition neither was Mr Ibrahim Masari, who was nominated as a placeholder by the APC for position of the Vice President, was not a necessary party to the petition because he was neither a candidate nor did he win the election.

He also held that the petition was statute-barred, having been filed outside the period allowed by law.