Supreme Court dismisses PDP’s double nomination suit against Shettima of APC

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), challenging the double Nomination of Kassim Shettima of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the newly elected Vice President in the 2023 general elections.
The Supreme Court concurred with the judgement of the lower courts that the PDP lacks the locus Standi to institute such a case in the first instance.
Justice Adamu Jauro, reading the Judgement stated that the PDP acted as meddlesome Interloper and a busy body as it is an internal affair of the APC.
The court, therefore, awarded the sum of two million naira (N2,000,000) against the PDP, while dismissing the suit for lacking in merit.
The Supreme Court Justices also held that the attitude of the appellant (PDP), amounts to misleading the court, describing the move as “sad”.
The Justices further held that the action of the PDP was painful as it used the social media to set a trap for the supreme court to blackmail it, describing this situation as unfortunate and uncalled for.
The judges maintained that a political party has no right to challenge the action of another party, or the decision of INEC, in respect of another party.
The insisted that for a person to have locus standi to challenge the nomination process of a political party, the person must be a neutral person and an aspirant to that position, and a member of the party.
The justices insisted that no matter the pains of the PDP on how the APC conducted it’s primary elections and nominated its candidate, the PDP must remain as an onlooker.
They reminded the PDP of the same circumstance in 1999 where Atiku Abubakar was elected Governor of Adamawa State, but was later picked as vice presidential candidate to Olusegun Obasanjo.
The PDP had argued the suit that Shettima’s nomination as Tinubu’s running mate breach the Provisions of sections 29(1), 33, 36 and 84 (1)(2) of the Electoral Act 2022.