The Supreme Court has given a judicial seal of approval for the inauguration of President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima.
The Court on Friday dismissed the suit by the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, seeking their disqualification from the 2023 presidential election.
In a ruling which paved the way for Tinubu and Shettima’s inauguration on May 29, the Supreme Court held that the PDP lacked the locus standi to file the lawsuit.
Adamu Jauro, the Supreme Court Justice who delivered the judgment, noted that the PDP acted as an intrusive interloper and a busybody by filing the suit.
The court further described the PDP’s action as misleading and “sad.”
The apex court awarded a sum of N2 million against the PDP and dismissed the suit for lacking merit.
The PDP, in the suit filed on July 28, 2022, asked for the disqualification of Tinubu and Shettima from contesting the 2023 presidential election on the grounds that Shettima’s nomination as Tinubu’s running mate amounted to double nomination, in breach of the provisions of Sections 29(1), 33, 35 and 84{1)}(2)} of the Electoral Act, 2022 as amended.
The party argued that Shettima’s nomination to contest the position of vice president and Borno Central senatorial seat breached the law.
An Abuja Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal had earlier dismissed the suit.
The PDP asked the Supreme Court to reverse the Court of Appeal judgment, which held that the party failed to establish its locus standi, noting that Shettima’s disqualification for double nomination could halt the swearing-in of Tinubu as President since they ran a combined ticket.
Lawyer to PDP Joe Agim told the court that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had earlier admitted Shettima’s double nomination at the Court of Appeal.
“There’s a punishment for double nomination,” Agim said.
In its argument, the All Progressives Congress (APC) noted that the PDP lacked the locus standi to file the suit, challenging the political party’s decision and its nomination of candidates for the polls.
The APC argued that the issue of contention concerned the political party’s internal affairs.
The party also noted that after 180 days, it was too late for the PDP to file a case on the subject with the Supreme Court.
Justice Jauro agreed with Tinubu’s lawyer, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, that PDP acted as busy body and meddlesome interloper in the ways and manners it dabbled into APC’s affairs unjustly.
The Apex Court held that apart from the fact that PDP lacked requisite jurisdiction to institute the suit, the party also failed to provide scintilla of evidence that Shettima engaged in double nomination.
The claim of PDP on the alleged double nomination of the Vice President-elect was described as most unfortunate and a clear deliberate mischief to mislead the Court and the country.
The Supreme Court also agreed with Fagbemi that no matter the pains of PDP on how APC conducted its primary election and nominated its candidates, PDP must remain onlooker.
“It is abundantly clear that the Appellant (PDP) in the totality of its position in the instant case, is peeping and poke nosing into the affairs of another party as a busy body and meddlesome interloper,” he said.
The Court held that the action of PDP was painful because it used the social media to set a booby trap for the Supreme Court to blackmail it.
