The Presidential Election Petitions Court(PEPC), sitting in the Court of Appeal, Abuja, on Wednesday morning ruled that issue of the qualification of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima is a pre-election matter which ought to have been settled before the elections as provided in the 1999 constitution. It therefore dismissed the petition asking for the disqualification of the duo.
Tribunal gave the verdict in an ongoing judgment being read at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, holding that the petitions is struck out for lacking merits.
The Tribunal held that once an election holds, the Tribunal has no powers to pry into pre-election matters, saying the issue of the qualification or disqualification ought to have been settled at the level of the Federal High Court as stipulated by law before the elections.
Besides, the Tribunal ruled that no party has the power to pry into the affairs of another party under the law.
“The petitioner can only file the petition when he is personally affected. Therefore I hold that the Petition is incompetent and the petitioner lacks locus”, ruled the Tribunal.
The Tribunal further held that the petition challenging qualification of the Vice President Kashim Shettima did not establish any fact, holding that qualification or disqualification of candidate is determined solely by the constitution.
The Tribunal therefore held that the petition challenging Shettima’s candidature to disqualify Tinubu’s qualification has no substance and it’s hereby dismissed.
The Tribunal has adjourned for 15 minutes to consolidate all petitions.
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