…By Enitan Thompson for TDPel Media.
The Supreme Court of Nigeria has set May 26 as the date for delivering judgment in a case brought by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seeking the disqualification of President-elect Bola Tinubu and Vice President-elect Kassim Shettima.
The PDP is also requesting the reversal of the Court of Appeal’s decision that the party lacked the standing to pursue the case.
Implications for Vice Presidential Candidacy:
The forthcoming judgment, just three days before the presidential inauguration, will determine whether Kassim Shettima can be sworn in as vice president or if his candidacy will be invalidated.
If Shettima is disqualified, it could impact the inauguration of Bola Tinubu as president, as they ran on a joint ticket.
Argument by PDP’s Lawyer:
Senior lawyer Joe Agim, representing the PDP, argued that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had previously admitted to Shettima’s double nomination in the appellate court, although the APC denied this allegation.
Agim cited a precedent case involving Uche Nwosu against ADP, asserting that the respondents (APC) should not be allowed to make arguments on the alleged double nomination.
Response from APC’s Lawyer:
APC’s lawyer, Omosanya Popoola, refuted Agim’s argument, stating that the Federal High Court had already ruled that the PDP had no standing to raise the matter.
Popoola further contended that the case had exceeded the time limit for challenging pre-election matters, emphasizing that it was too late for the PDP to bring the issue before the Supreme Court after 180 days.
Debate over Time Limit:
Agim countered Popoola’s argument, highlighting the precedent set by the Uche Nwosu case, where the Supreme Court stated that “time does not run” when dealing with matters of double nomination.
According to Agim, the number of days should not be a factor in this case.
Judgment Date:
The five-member panel of justices, led by Inyang Okoro, announced that the Supreme Court will deliver its judgment on Friday, May 26.