In order to prevent Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress from running in the 2023 presidential election, the Peoples Democratic Party, or PDP, has filed a petition.
The main opposition is asking the court to order the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to stop Peter Obi and Bola Tinubu from succeeding Gov. Kabiru Masari and Doyin Okupe, respectively, who are serving as temporary replacements.
The PDP requests that the court order the two candidates to refrain from choosing Senators Kashim Shettima and Datti Baba-Ahmed as their running mates.
LATEST: Peter Obi’s Camp Gives Tinubu Mandate Over ASUU Strike
The main opposition also requested that Tinubu and Obi be declared ineligible unless they are running against Okupe and Masari, respectively.
In the originating summons, filed under suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1016/2022, the PDP is requesting a court injunction prohibiting INEC from switching out Tinubu and Obi as candidates.
These parties include INEC, APC, Tinubu, Masari, Labour Party, Obi, and Okupe, who are designated as the case’s first through seventh respondents.
Masari and Okupe were used by Tinubu and Obi to meet the deadline for submitting their running mates following the primaries imposed by INEC.
The two presidential hopefuls switched their nominations earlier this week. While Tinubu settled for former Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, Obi announced Datti Baba-Ahmed as his running mate.
IPOB Blasts Gumi, Reveals Peter Obi Can’t Influence Agitation
And the main opposition PDP now asked the court to determine if by the combined interpretation of Section 142(1) of the constitution, Section 29(1), 31 and 33 of the Electoral Act 2022, and INEC’s timetable, the APC and LP’s presidential candidates are bound by the submission of Masari and Okupe, respectively as their running mates.
The PDP also wants the court to determine if “by the combined interpretation of Section 142(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Sections 29(1), 31, 33 of the Electoral Act 2022, the first defendant (the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC) can validly accept any change or substitution of the 4th (Masari) and 7th (Okupe) defendants as running mates of the 3rd (APC) and 6th (Labour Party) defendants.”
The party asked the court to rule that both Tinubu and Obi will be disqualified the moment they substitute the names of their running mates.
Follow us on Facebook