Appeal Court Reserves Judgment In PDP’s Case Against Tinubu, Shettima

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Thursday reserved judgement till a date to be announced later on an appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Justice Haruna Tsammani, who headed a three-member panel of the court, took the decision after lawyers to parties adopted their briefs and made final submissions.

The lawyer to PDP prayed to the court to allow the appeal and grant the reliefs sought.

However, lawyers to the APC, the president-elect, Bola Tinubu and Thomas Ojo who represented Kashim Shettima urged the court to dismiss the appeal.

Ojo argued that the court could no longer be involved in original jurisdiction under Section 15 of the court’s Act to hear the case on merit because the constitutionally prescribed 180 days, within which pre-election cases should be heard, has lapsed.

The PDP in the appeal marked: CA/ABJ/CV/108/2023, is seeking the reversal of the January 13 judgment by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

Justice Ekwo had in the judgment, dismissed the suit by the PDP in which it sought to void the nomination of Senator Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima as the presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the grounds that it (PDP) lacked the locus standi to query how the APC chose its candidates.

The PDP had, in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1734/2022 challenged the validity of the Tinubu/Shettima ticket for the 2023 presidential election, arguing that Shettima’s nomination as the running mate was in breach of the provisions of Sections 29(1), 33, 35 and 84{1)}(2)} of the Electoral Act, 2022 (as amended).

It claimed that Shettima had double nominations, and argued that Shettima’s nomination as a vice-presidential candidate, as well as the candidate for the Borno Central Senatorial seat, contravened the law.