A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, has been asked to stop the All Progressives Congress (APC) from replacing Alhaji Kabiru Masari, as the running mate to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 presidential election.
Two chieftains of the party, who were delegates in the just concluded APC National Convention, Zakari Maigari and Zubainatu Mohammed, approached the court to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting change of vice presidential candidate from APC. The plaintiffs joined APC, INEC, Tinubu and Masari as defendants.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ CS/1059/2022 and dated July 4, 2022, the plaintiffs want the court to determine whether having regard to the combined effect of sections 142(1) and sections 29(1), 31 and 33 of the Electoral Act, it is legally permissible for the fourth defendant to withdraw as the vice presidential candidate of the first defendant and the running mate of the third defendant so as to be substituted or replaced with another person.
They also want the court to determine whether in view of the joint ticket provision in section 142(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, the withdrawal of the fourth defendant as the candidate for the office of Vice President does not entail the automatic withdrawal of the third defendant as the candidate for the office of President for purpose of the 2023 general elections.
The Guardian
