Presidential Election Petition: APM Closes Case Against Tinubu

…Court fixes July 14 for adoption

EkoHotBlog reports that the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) has closed its case seeking to nullify the election of President Bola Tinubu as president at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) in Abuja on Wednesday.

The online news platform reports that Aisha Abubakar, the party’s Assistant Welfare Director, and the lone witness, presented seven sets of documentary evidence to support their argument that Tinubu was ineligible for the 2023 presidential election.

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Notably, all the respondents, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), President Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Mr. Ibrahim Masari, did not oppose the admission of the documents. Justice Haruna Tsammani-led’s five-member panel accepted the evidence as exhibits.

Earlier, the APM had declined to withdraw its petition against President Tinubu’s election despite the Supreme Court’s judgment on a related matter raised by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The court had suspended proceedings on May 30 after Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, counsel to President Tinubu, cited the Supreme Court’s decision, which he believed addressed the substance of APM’s petition regarding the legality of his client’s nomination by the APC.

Nevertheless, the petitioner, represented by lawyer Mr. Gideon Idiagbonya, expressed readiness to pursue the case against Tinubu. During the recent proceedings, the party submitted exhibits through the witness, including documents related to Masari’s nomination as Tinubu’s running mate.

Before the witness concluded her testimony, APC’s lead counsel, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, presented a copy of the Supreme Court judgment through her, which the respondents argued had already settled the issue raised by APM.

The Justice Tsammani-led panel adjourned the matter until July 14, allowing all parties to present their final briefs of argument. Subsequently, the court will schedule a date for delivering its judgment.

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In its petition labeled CA/PEPC/04/2023, the APM contended that the withdrawal of Mr. Masari, initially nominated as the APC’s Vice-Presidential candidate, rendered Tinubu’s candidacy invalid under Section 131(c) and 142 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

The party argued that there was a three-week gap between Masari’s intention to withdraw, the actual withdrawal of his nomination, and Tinubu’s purported replacement with Senator Kashim Shettima, rendering Tinubu’s candidacy expired at the time of the replacement.