APM’s petition against Tinubu incompetent – Tribunal

The lawsuit the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, made to invalidate President Bola Tinubu’s election was dismissed as incompetent by the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, located in Abuja.

The court decided that the pre-election problems presented by the APM in its petition could only be resolved by the Federal High Court.

All of the Respondents submitted initial objections to the petition’s competence, which Justice Haruna Tsammani, the panel’s chairman, affirmed in reading the decision.

Because the petition centered on President Tinubu’s eligibility to participate in the February 25 presidential election, according to Justice Haruna, the APM was required to file a lawsuit within 14 days following Tinubu’s nomination by the All Progressives Congress, APC.

He maintained that the APM lacked locus standi to contest Tinubu’s candidacy because the subject touched on a pre-election affair.

Furthermore, Justice Tsammani ruled that a political party does not have the authority to contest a nomination that was made by another political party, as the Supreme Court had previously determined.

According to him, the 1999 Constitution, as amended, provides provisions in sections 131 and 237 for the qualification or disqualification of candidates in elections.

The court observed that Kashim Shettima’s claimed nomination as Tinubu’s running partner was allegedly invalid.

“It is clear that the claim of qualification is non-qualification of the 3rd Respondent (Tinubu) centred on the alleged invalid nomination of the 4th Respondent (Shettima).

“It is a pre-election matter,” Justice Tsammani held.