BREAKING: Supreme Court Dismisses Case Against Shettima
BREAKING: Supreme Court Dismisses Case Against Shettima
On Friday, the Supreme Court of Nigeria dismissed a case that sought to bar the All Progressives Congress’s Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shetima from participating in the February 25, 2023, presidential election because of multiple nominating. The Peoples Democratic Party had filed the lawsuit, and a 5-person panel chaired by Justice John Inyang Okoro decided it.
The PDP had contested the legality of the Tinubu/Shettima ticket for the 2023 presidential election in the lawsuit filed on July 28, 2022, claiming that Shettima’s selection as the running mate was in violation of Sections 29(1), 33, 35, and 84(1)(2) of the Electoral Act, 2022 (as amended).
The case was brought forward to supreme court about Shettima allegedly nominated twice, according to the PDP, breaking the law by running for vice president and the Borno Central senatorial seat at the same time.
The former Vice President and the opposition party, the PDP, prayed to the court for an order nullifying their candidacy as well as an order ordering the INEC to remove their names from its list of nominated or sponsored candidates eligible to run in the election.
But on January 13, 2023, Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed the PDP’s lawsuit after hearing the case, calling the party a busy body for filing the lawsuit.
Angered by the trial court’s decision, the PDP went to the appellate court to request redress by having the decision thrown out.
The PDP, however, failed to prove its locus standi, according to the Court of Appeal’s ruling, which was delivered on March 24 and was presided over by Justice James Abundaga.
Once more unsatisfied with the conclusion of the appeal, the PDP petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the lower court’s decision.
Justice Adamu Jauro gave the lead decision on Friday, concluding that the Plaintiff/Appellant (PDP) lacked locus standi (legal standing) to bring the lawsuit against Tinubu and Shettima.
Justice Jauro stated that for a person to have the locus standi to challenge a nomination process of a political party, the person must be a natural person, an aspirant to that position and a member of that party.
A political party has no right to challenge the action of another party or the decision of INEC in respect of another party.
