BREAKING: Tribunal dismisses APM’s petition against Tinubu, Shettima

The Presidential Election Petition Court has struck out the Allied Peoples Movement petitions against President Bola Tinubu and his Vice President, Kashim Shettima, for lack of merit.

The PEPC dismissed and described APM’s case filed to nullify Tinubu’s election as “incompetent”.

The court held that issues raised by the APM in its petition contained pre-election matters that could only be determined by the Federal High Court.

Chairman of the panel, Justice Haruna Tsammani, read the ruling

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

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

READ ALSO: Heavy security beef-up at Unilag gate

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.

He held that since the cause of action bordered on a pre-election matter, the APM lacked the locus standi to challenge Tinubu’s nomination.

Tsammani also held that the law did not allow a political party to query the process adopted by another political party in nominating its candidate.

The judge also held that invalid nomination or double nomination did not qualify as a ground for disqualification in respect of presidential election as provided in sections 131 and 137 of the Constitution.