Presidential tribunal reserves judgement in APM’s case against Tinubu

The presidential election court has reserved judgement in the petition filed by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) against the election of President Bola Tinubu.

The five-member panel of the court led by Haruna Tsammani, adjourned for judgement on Friday, after all the parties adopted their final briefs. 

In the petition marked CA/PEPC/04/2023, the party is contending that Tinubu was improperly sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC) since he nominated Kashim Shettima as his vice-presidential candidate for the election.

It claims that at the time Shettima accepted to be APC’s vice-presidential candidate, he was still the party’s candidate for Borno central senatorial district.

On May 30, Wole Olanipekun, counsel representing Tinubu and Shettima, told the tribunal that the supreme court judgment which dismissed an appeal by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), affects the petition filed by the APM.

The PDP’s case against the APC presidential candidates was on the grounds of double nomination.

The opposition party had claimed that Shettima was still the APC candidate for Borno central senatorial district on July 14, when he accepted the nomination for vice-presidential candidate.

However, in a judgment delivered on May 26, the supreme court dismissed the appeal for lacking in merit.

A five-member panel of the apex court held that PDP not being a member of the APC, lacked the locus standi to institute the suit.

The apex court also ruled that Shettima was not guilty of double nomination.

But the APM said they had analysed the judgment and still want to continue with their petition.

The party closed its case on June 21 after calling just one witness.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), APC, President Tinubu, Shettima, and Kabiru Masari are the respondents.