Supreme Court Dismiss Presidential Election Petition Against Tinubu

The Supreme Court, on Monday, dismissed the appeal filed by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) challenging the Presidential Election Petition Court’s judgement affirming President Bola Tinubu’s victory.

A seven-member panel of the Supreme Court chaired by John Okoro dismissed the appeal after APM lawyer, Chukwuma Machukwu-Ume, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, withdrew the suit.

“This appeal having been withdrawn without objection (from the respondents) is hereby dismissed,” Mr Okoro said.
The APM appeal challenged the eligibility of President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima. The contention was based on an allegation of Mr Shettima’s double nomination as a vice presidential candidate and senatorial candidate in the same election cycle.
But the Supreme Court had in May decided a similar case filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against Messrs Tinubu and Shettima.

Mr Okoro had led the court’s panel that dismissed a similar appeal filed by the PDP, holding that the PDP had no right to challenge the internal qualification of candidates of another political party.

The Supreme Court further held that Mr Shettima properly relinquished his nomination for Borno South Senatorial District ticket before becoming Mr Tinubu’s running mate for the 25 February presidential election.

The Supreme Court panel on Monday drew the APM’s lawyer’s attention to the earlier judgement, and discouraged him from continuing to pursue the appeal on that basis.