The All Progressives Congress, APC, has asked the Presidential Election Petition tribunal to dismiss the petitions filed by three political parties challenging the declaration of its candidate, Bola Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 presidential election.
In the reply filed before the tribunal by one of its counsels, Thomas Ojo in Abuja, the APC responded to the petitions by the Action Alliance, AA, the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, and the Action Peoples Party, APP.
The APC faulted the claim by the AA that its presidential candidate was excluded from the election, arguing that its candidate, Hamza Al-Mustapha participated fully in the election.
The AA in its petition is challenging the election on ground of non-compliance, claiming that the alleged exclusion of its candidate, Solomon Okanigbuan by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is not in compliance with relevant laws, including the Electoral Act.
The APC stated that contrary to AA’s claim, Tinubu was duly elected and returned as the President-elect having won the majority of lawful votes in the said election. It argued that the ground on which the AA brought its petition is not meritorious and facts in support of same are not availing to validate the petitioners’ claims.
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APC also argued that as against the AA’s claim, INEC did not exclude Okanigbuan’s name because he was never the lawfully nominated and sponsored candidate of the petitioner as his name was not submitted to INEC as it’s a candidate for the election.
The APC stated that Okanigbuan was not nominated and sponsored by the AA as its candidate to contest the presidential elections, adding that the party could not have been excluded from the election having participated in the presidential election with Al-mustapha as its candidate who polled 14,542 votes.
Moreover , APC In its notice of preliminary objection noted that the petition was based solely on pre-election issues of nomination, sponsorship, and exclusion of candidates for an election that preceded the conduct of a general election and are pre-election matters that cannot be raised or canvased before an election tribunal therefore amount to statute barred.
It urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition by the APM insisting that the party lacks legal right to challenge the mode it adopted in nominating it’s candidate, it also faulted the competence of the petition having excluded its presidential candidate as a party to the petition.
The APM is contending in its petition that Tinubu was not qualified to contest the election on allegation of double nomination of his vice presidential candidate and the substitution of the initial placeholder, Kabir Masari with Shettima.
The APC also faulted the competence of the petition by the APP, on the ground that the petition was not sustainable therefore it’s frivolous and should be dismissed .
Editor: Paul Akhagbemhe
