2023 Presidency: PDP Moves For Disqualification Of Tinubu

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, will seek disqualification of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, describing his candidacy as illegal.

The party is relying on Section 183 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Section 82(3) of the Electoral Act, 2022.

The concurrent provisions of the constitution and electoral act forbid an individual from holding dual executive positions.

The PDP based its decision on the fact that Yobe State governor, Mai Mala Buni, acted as both an Executive Governor and Executive Chairman of the APC even if he was a caretaker committee chairman.

Recall Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja had few weeks ago nullified the candidacy of Oyetola after ruling that Buni acted in contravention of the provision of Section 183 of the Constitution and Section 82(3) of the Electoral Act, 2022, when he held dual executive positions as the Governor of Yobe State and the Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of the ruling party.

The governor has appealed the judgement.

Speaking through its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, during a press conference in Abuja on Saturday, the party said Tinubu’s status as a candidate is not tenable in view of the court ruling.

He said, “Mai Mala Bala was assumed to be Chairman of the APC and the laws say that if you are an executive governor you cannot double as Chairman. This has led the court to nullify the candidacy of the Governor of Osun State, Oyetola.

“The same Mai Mala Buni was the caretaker chairman that sponsored the nomination of Tinubu. We are saying that if the process that sponsored the nomination of the presidential candidate of the APC was illegal, then the nomination of Bola Tinubu is illegal, null and void,” he argued.

Although he remained coy on what the PDP will do, saying, “the PDP will not announce whether we are going to court. When we want to go to court, you will know.”

Speaking on the crisis in the party, the party spokesman said,“You mistake Atiku to be PDP. Atiku is a product of PDP. I understand that Nigerians are legitimately concerned for the party but reconciliation is not a 100m dash, it is a marathon.”

He explained that,“Nigerians have accepted Atiku as a unifier. The multiple actions of the Board of Trustees, National Working Committee, and Atiku have given Nigerians reasons to trust us to bring all party members together.

“You will begin to see more actions. The NWC and the BoT are working. We are united, you saw that play out at the book launch of Solomon Lar,” he added.

He declared that, “We are ready and we are compliant with the rules. Some other parties are playing catch up. We signed the peace accord, and Atiku was there. A party candidate did not show up. We don’t want a President by proxy.”