The Supreme court has dismissed the suit seeking the disqualification of the President elect Bola Tinubu and his Vice Kashim Shettima as presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress. A supreme court session held on Friday that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lacked the locus standi to institute the suit. The panel said the People’s Democratic Party is not a member of the All Progressives Congress.
The PDP had claimed that Shettima’s nomination as Tinubu’s running mate during the election was in breach of the provisions of the Electoral Act, sections 29(1), 33, 35, and 84(1)(2). They also stated that the issue being contested is an internal party affair and that the appellants lacked locus standi to institute the suit. But the opposition insisted that section 284(14)(c) of the constitution gives them the right to institute the suit as it is not an internal party affair, In its judgment, the apex court held that section 284(14)(c) of the constitution does not extend to a party poking into the affairs of another party no matter how serious the case might be.
“The position of the law has always been that no political party can challenge the nomination of a candidate of another political party, the position did not change in section 285(14)(c) of the constitution. No matter pained or disgruntled a political party is with the way and manner another political party is conducting or has conducted its affairs concerning its nomination of candidates for any position, it must keep mum and remain an onlooker for he lacks locus standi to challenge such nomination in court. Section 285(14)(c) of the constitution only allows a political party to challenge the decisions and activities of INEC disqualifying its own candidate from participating in an election.” Adamu Jauro, who read the lead judgment, said. and the apex court added that the appeal is pointless.
