In a decisive ruling, the Supreme Court of Nigeria has upheld the victory of President Bola Tinubu, dismissing the appeal filed by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) on Monday.
The seven-member panel, presided over by Justice John Okoro, took this decision after the APM lawyer, Chukwuma Machukwu-Ume, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, withdrew the suit.
“This appeal, having been withdrawn without objection from the respondents, is hereby dismissed,” declared Mr. Okoro, officially putting an end to the APM’s legal challenge.
The APM appeal challenged the eligibility of President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, raising concerns over Mr. Shettima’s alleged double nomination as both a vice presidential candidate and a senatorial candidate in the same election cycle.
It is noteworthy that a similar case had been brought forth by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) earlier in May, also targeting President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima. In that instance, Mr. Okoro had led the Supreme Court panel in dismissing the PDP’s appeal, citing the party’s lack of standing to challenge the internal qualification of candidates from another political party.
The Court further ruled that Mr. Shettima had properly relinquished his nomination for the Borno South Senatorial District ticket before joining Mr. Tinubu as his running mate in the February 25th presidential election.
During the proceedings on Monday, the Supreme Court panel reminded the APM’s lawyer of the earlier judgment and discouraged him from pursuing the appeal on the same grounds. Following a discussion between the lawyer and the bench, the decision to withdraw the case was reached.
The outcome of this ruling cements President Bola Tinubu’s electoral victory and reaffirms his legitimacy as the President of Nigeria.
