Tribunal Reserves Judgement in APM’S Petition against Tinubu’s Election 

Alex Enumah in Abuja

The Presidential Election Petition Court (PREPEC) has reserved its judgement in the petition of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) against the election of President Bola Tinubu.

Presiding judge of the five-member panel of the PREPEC, Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani, yesterday, announced that judgement is reserved to a date that would be communicated to parties in the petition.

The decision was taken shortly after parties in the petition adopted their final addresses for and against the petition seeking the disqualification of Tinubu from the February 25 presidential election on the grounds of unlawful nomination.

According to the petitioner, Tinubu ought not to be on the ballot because the then Vice Presidential candidate, Senator Kashim Shettima, unlawfully allowed himself to be nominated twice for two different constituencies.

Shettima had been nominated by the All Progressives Congress (APC) as its candidate for Borno Central Senatorial District and was later nominated by the same party as Vice Presidential candidate, following the withdrawal of one Kabiru Masari who was the initial Vice Presidential candidate to Tinubu.

The grouse of the APM was that Kashim Shettima and the APC breached the Electoral Act by engaging in the alleged double nomination.

In proving its case, the APM had on June 21 called only one witness, who tendered documents to prove that Shettima was still a senatorial nominee as at the time he was nominated for the position of Vice President.

After the end of cross examination by the respondents which include the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), APC, Tinubu, Shettima and Masari, the court adjourned to July 14, for adoption of their final written addresses in the petition.

At the resumed hearing yesterday, the APM through its counsel, Andrew Malgwu, SAN, asked the court to invoke the relevant law to nullify the nomination of Tinubu and Shettima on the grounds of unlawful, illegal and unjustifiable nomination.

Responding, INEC prayed the court to dismiss the petition for lacking in merit.

Similarly, APC represented by Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, asked the court to dismiss the petition on all grounds for being frivolous, irritating and unwarranted.

 Fagbemi argued that the petition died on arrival in view of the Supreme Court judgement that other political parties cannot interfere in the internal affairs of another party especially on the issue of nomination.

In the same vein, Tinubu and Shettima represented by legal luminary, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, argued that the APM’S petition ought not to have been filed in the first instance and demanded its outright dismissal.

Olanipekun told the court that the petition ought to have been withdrawn honourably immediately the Supreme Court made pronouncement that no party has the right to dabble into how another party nominated its candidates for elective offices.

Shortly after the proceedings, the Presiding Justice of the court, Justice Tsammani adjourned judgement indefinitely.

Justice Tsammani told the retinue of lawyers in the court that they would be communicated once the judgement is ready.