The All Progressives Congress APC Presidential Campaign Council spokesperson, Festus Keyamo, has lampooned the Atiku/Okowa Organisation, saying it is deficient in ideas and originality.
Keyamo, who was responding to his Peoples Democratic Party PDP counterpart! Kola Ologbondiyan, said, “why did they wait all these months until we filed before they are now rushing to court? I challenge them more than two months ago, yet they did nothing.
“It shows a team that is lacking in originality, lacking in ideas, and lacking in vision. It is just an attempt to create a counter suit to our own. Unfortunately for them, Nigerians have seen through them already.”
The PDP PCC on Monday, sued the presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Tinubu, to court, asking the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disqualify him from contesting the February 25 election over an alleged forfeiture of the sum of $460,000 to the United States authorities.
The PDP PCC spokesperson of the Atiku/Okowa Campaign Organisation, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan told newsmen in Abuja that the case was in the interest of the nation as Nigeria’s laws do not permit an alleged convict, let alone an individual convicted on account of international crime of trafficking in narcotic, to contest election at any level.
He said the wantsc the court to declare Tinubu ineligible to contest the presidential election by virtue of section 137 (1) (d) of the 1999 Constitution.
He said we want the court to “Compel the Independent National Electoral Commission, to immediately delist Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as presidential candidate of the APC or any other political party for that matter and expunge his name from all materials and documents related to the 2023 presidential election.
Ologbondiyan also said the PDP has asked the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Department of State Security, and the Inspector General of Police to arrest and prosecute Tinubu for the alleged crime.
He said, “You will further recall that the PDP had already established that the presidential candidate of the APC, having been allegedly convicted and having acceded to be guilty as charged by way of forfeiture of the $460,000; Nigeria being a signatory to International Convention is mandatorily obligated to execute the consequential effect of that conviction by virtue of Section 137 (1) (d) of the 1999 Constitution.
“For clarity, Section 137 (1) (d) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) provides that:(1) A person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if….(d) He is under a sentence of death imposed by any competent court of law or tribunal in Nigeria or a sentence of imprisonment or fine for any offence involving dishonesty or fraud (by whatever name called) or for any other offence, imposed on him by any court or tribunal or substituted by a competent authority for any other sentence imposed on him by such a court or tribunal.
“The import of the foregoing is that under the 1999 Constitution (as amended), having been so convicted and fined and having acceded to the sentencing by way of forfeiture of $460,000 and having not received any state pardon or acquitted by any court of competent jurisdiction, Asiwaju Tinubu remains a convict and the consequential effect is that he cannot contest election at any level in Nigeria.
“The effect is that the listing of the name of Bola Tinubu, who stands allegedly convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction on the ballot for the 2023 presidential election is by the virtue of Section 137 (1) (d) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) fundamentally illegal, invalid and must be expunged immediately.” he further noted.
