Victory as court strikes out double nomination against Shettima

Justice Tsammani, the lead jurist and one of the Justices delivering the court's verdict at the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT) currently sitting in Abuja has ruled that Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s double nomination as a vice-presidential candidate and senatorial candidate was not intentional and should not be used to disqualify President Bola Tinubu’s election.

The verdict was on the case brought by the Allied People’s Movement (APM) that argued that Mr Shettima violated the electoral law when he entered his nomination as Mr. Tinubu’s running mate on July 14 while still remaining the senatorial candidate in his home Borno State.

According to him, a political party cannot impose credibility status on any candidate unless as prescribed by sections 65, 131 and 137 of the constitution.

He said in the verdict that "the issue of qualification or nomination of any candidate is a pre-election matter."

The APM's petition against the Independent National Electoral Commission and four others was also dismissed. The respondents are INEC, All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, Kashim Shettima and Kabiru Masari.

The tribunal ruled on each of the arguments put forward by APM.

Tsammani said the petitioners failed to prove their arguments and the petition was void of merits, The Punch reports.

The judge also upheld preliminary objections raised by all the Respondents to challenge the competence of the petition.

Tsammani held that since the petition centered on the qualification or otherwise of Tinubu to contest the presidential election, the APM ought to have gone to court within 14 days after Tinubu was nominated by the APC.

NBA