2023: Buhari’s ex-minister asks court to disqualify Tinubu, Atiku, name him APC’s Presidential candidate
Immediate past Minister of State for Education, Mr. Emeka Nwajiuba, together with a group, the Incorporated Trustees of Rights for All International, have filed a suit before a Federal High Court sitting, in Abuja, seeking an order declaring Nwajiuba as the authentic Presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Plaintiffs were also praying for the cancellation of the votes garnered by the Presidential candidates of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and that of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Recall that Nwajiuba recently resigned from the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari as Minister of State for Education.
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The first to sixth Defendants in the case with suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/942/22 were: the APC, the PDP, Asiwaju Tinubu, Alhaji Atiku, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami SAN and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Nwajiuba, who purchased the APC presidential form for N100 million, but polled only one vote at the June 8, 2022, primary of the APC, accused Asiwaju Tinubu of bribing delegates with dollars.
The Plaintiffs also attached as evidence a video recording showing the immediate past Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, lamenting that delegates to the APC primary sold their votes.
“Those who voted at the APC primaries, who are they? They are ordinary Nigerians. The small money they got solved their immediate problem, now they are saying they made a mistake; you are now hearing different things,” Amaechi was quoted to have said at the 60th birthday celebration of Apostle Eugene Ogu, General Overseer of Abundant Life Evangel Mission, last week.
Based on the evidence, Nwajiuba and RAI presented 25 issues for determination by the court.
Specifically, the former minister asked the court to determine whether the composition of the delegates contravened Article 11(A) 12(1) and 13(1) of the constitution of the APC.
Nwajiuba also asked the court to determine if the composition of the delegates at the PDP primary contravened Section 33(1) and (5) (c) of the constitution of the party.
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The Plaintiffs prayed the court to determine whether having regards to the clear unambiguous and express provisions and tenor of Sections 6(6) (A) (B) and (C) read alongside Section 15(5) of the 1999 Constitution, the court has the inherent judicial powers to nullify, cancel and declare as illegal the Presidential primaries of the APC and the PDP.
Nwajiuba asked the court to determine if all the votes cast in favour of Tinubu and Atiku at the special national convention of the APC and PDP are illegal, null and void and of no effect whatsoever on the grounds of corruption and selling of delegate votes and voter inducement.
