The Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it has commenced a legal process to disqualify the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, from contesting the 2023 presidential election.

The spokesperson for the PDP campaign council, Kola Ologbodiyan, on Monday, told journalists at a press conference in Abuja that the party is in court to ask for the disqualification of the APC candidate over allegations bordering on conviction for trafficking narcotics in the United States.

The PDP is also asking the court to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately delist Bola Tinubu as presidential candidate of the APC or any other political party.

The party says it is filing for an accelerated hearing in the interest of the country’s legal stance on ex-convicts and their rights to contest an election.

Deja Vu?

The party made its plans public 10 days after a similar case involving the PDP and Tinubu was thrown out.

On January 13th, the Federal High Court, Abuja dismissed a suit by the PDP seeking the disqualification of Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima, for the 2023 general elections.

The PDP, which sought an order disqualifying the APC, Tinubu, and Shettima from contesting the presidential election scheduled for February 25th, also sought an order nullifying their candidacy.

It further sought an order compelling INEC to remove their names from its list of nominated or sponsored candidates eligible to contest the poll.

Delivering judgment, Justice Inyang Ekwo dismissed the suit on the ground that the PDP lacked locus standi to institute the suit.

Justice Ekwo, who held that the case was caught by the principle of issue estoppel, described the suit as an abuse of the court process. (Channels TV: Text, excluding headline)

Update news