A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit instituted by the Peoples Democratic Party seeking the disqualification Labour Party Presidential candidate Peter Obi and Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress.
The suit challenging the legality of the substitution of the running mates for Tinubu and Obi was dismissed on Monday on the grounds that the court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the suit and that the suit was a gross abuse of court process.
BASIC FACTS
- A Federal High court on Monday dismissed PDP suit against the Labour Party and APC.
- The PDP was challenging the Labour Party and APC for the substitution of their running mates.
- The Court said it lacked jurisdiction over the case and described the suit as abuse of court process.
WHAT WE KNOW
An Abuja Federal High court, presided by Justice Donatus Okoronkwo, on Monday dismissed a suit brought before it by the PDP against the Labour Party (LP) and All Progressive Congress (APC).
The PDP had in the now dismissed suit, challenged the legality of the Labour Party Presidential candidate Peter Obi and APC Bola Tinubu on the ground that they had a substitution of their running mate.
Dismissing the case, the court had said it lacked jurisdiction over the matter, and the suit was a gross abuse of court process.
Justice Donatus Okoronkwo also noted that all the reliefs sought by the PDP were not grantable.
The PDP is claiming that the Electoral Act 2022 did not make provision for a “placeholder” or temporary running mate and that the replacement of running mates is not applicable to Ibrahim Masari and Doyin Okupe.
PDP also contended that Peter Obi and Tinubu can only qualify to contest the 2023 presidential election with Masari and Okupe, as their respective running mates.
The PDP further claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission lacked the power to accept any withdrawal or substitution of Masari and Okupe without the APC and Labour Party conducting fresh primaries to substitute Tinubu and Obi, amongst others.
CATCH UP
Recall that Peter Obi of the Labour Party had selected his campaign Director Doyin Okupe as his placeholder to beat INEC’s June deadline for submission of names of candidates by Parties.
However, after consultation and making a choice, Dr. Doyin Okupe was replaced him with Datti Baba-Ahmed, who is now the Party’s running mate.
In the same vein, Bola Tinubu of the APC had picked Bello Masari as the placeholder until he settled for ex-governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, who has since substituted Masari.
Not happy with the above, the PDP had approached the court to disqualify both parties for substituting their running mate and the use of placeholders.
TAKEAWAY
The PDP definitely wants an easy ride to Aso Rock. However, that doesn’t look like it, not in 2023. The next tenant at Aso Rock will certainly work for it.
Now that this is settled, except the PDP is thinking of an appeal, otherwise, it’s time for the parties to tidy up their campaign documents; at for those who have one, as the real horse trading starts in a few days from today.
