Tribunal admits Shettima’s voluntary resignation letter as APC senatorial candidate

The presidential election petition court has admitted in evidence, a certified true copy of Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s voluntary resignation letter.

Shettima purportedly tendered the letter as candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Borno central senatorial district.

The letter dated July 6, 2022, was tendered by Wole Olanipekun, lawyer to President Bola Tinubu and Shettima, at the opening of their defence in the petition filed by Peter Obi and the Labour Party (LP).

Obi and LP are challenging the outcome of the February 25 presidential election.

Among several issues, the petitioners alleged that Shettima was guilty of double nomination as APC senatorial and vice-presidential candidate.

However, the respondents have maintained that Shettima relinquished his senatorial ticket before accepting to be vice-presidential candidate of his party.

‘OBI NOT QUALIFIED TO CONTEST PRESIDENTIAL POLL’

Meanwhile, Tinubu and Shettima have alleged that Obi was not a registered member of LP at the time he contested the presidential election.

The president and his deputy tendered a copy of the LP membership register for Anambra state.

The respondents’ lawyer displayed the document alongside LP’s letter, dated April 25, 2022.

The letter forwarded the membership register to the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Although Livy Uzoukwu, the petitioners’ counsel, objected to the admissibility of the documents, the court admitted them in evidence and marked them as exhibits RA17 and RA18.