PDP drags APC and Labour Party to court for changing their presidential running mates after the deadline

NIGERIA'S main opposition the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has filed a lawsuit against the ruling the ruling All Progress Congress (APC) and Labour Party for changing their presidential running mates after the official closing date of June 17.

Next year, Nigeria goes to the polls and in anticipation of the elections, all the parties have held their presidential primaries. While the PDP presidential candidate, former vice president Atiku Abubakar picked his running mate in a relatively straightforward manner, opting to select Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, the other two parties had a more cumbersome task with the process.

While the APC and Labour Party made up their minds about who to select, their presidential candidates, former Lagos State governor Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, selected holding persons for the roles. They named Kabiru Masari and Doyin Okupe respectively as their running mates until they were replaced with Senator Kashim Shettima and Yusuf Baba-Ahmed.

In response to the move, the PDP has instituted legal action against both parties and the federal high court in Abuja has fixed the hearing of the suit for August 12. In the suit filed by Gordy Uche on behalf of PDP, the party is claiming that the Electoral Act 2022 did not make provision for a place holder or temporary running mate.

In addition, the PDP is also contending that Asiwaju Tinubu and Governor Obi can only qualify to contest the 2023 presidential election with Mr Masari and Mr Okupe as their respective running mates. Furthermore, the PDP claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) lacked the power to accept any withdrawal or substitution of Messrs Masari and Okupe without the APC and Labour Party conducting fresh primaries to substitute Asiwaju Tinubu and Governor Obi.

According to the PDP, Messrs Masari and Okupe are not products of any primary election and as such were not validly nominated by the APC and Labour Party. Also, the PDP  stated that Inec cannot validly make any other election timetable for the change and substitution of Messrs Masari and cannot severe, alter or change any day later than June 17, 2022.