The leading opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (Party) has claimed that the process that produced the Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the 2023 presidential candidate of the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC) is invalid.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters in Abuja on Saturday, Debo Ologunagba, National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, said the nullification of the candidacy of the Osun State governor, Gboyega Oyetola, confirmed the stand of the party that the executives and candidates put together by Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe, were illegal.
Last week, a Federal High Court in Abuja nullified the nomination of Governor Isiaka Oyetola and his Deputy, Benedict Alabi, as APC candidates in the Osun State governorship election.
Justice Emeka Nwite, the presiding judge, nullified the nominations of Oyetola and his deputy on the grounds that Buni, who handed tickets to the duo, erred in law by occupying two executive positions contrary to the Constitution.
Olgunagba said the import of the judgment of the Federal High Court is that every decision made by Buni, including supervising the election that produced the Abdullahi Adamu APC leadership and by extension, the primaries that produced Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is null and void.
He therefore called on Nigerians not to waste their votes, but vote for the Presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar.
“The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Friday, September 30, 2022 nullified the candidature of Governor Gboyega Oyetola’s in the July 16 2022 Osun State Governorship election on the ground that his nomination was invalid, having been conducted and submitted by Gov. Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, in violation of Section 183 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).”
“The Congresses as well as the National Convention which produced APC EXCOs including the Sen. Adamu Abdullahi-led NWC is void. In effect the primaries and Presidential Convention conducted by the Sen. Adamu led NWC, including the nomination of Ahmed Bola Tinubu as Presidential Candidate of the APC is invalid, null and void ab-initio.”
Ologunagba said Tinubu has nothing to offer, but should go home and face the “issues of inconsistencies in his educational qualifications, name, ancestry, age as well as corruption allegations.”
On the other hand, he stated that the PDP will officially flag off its 2023 Presidential Election Campaign on Monday, October 10, 2022 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State Capital, adding that they were prepared for issue-based campaign.
“The PDP will take our campaign to all the States, Local Government Areas, Wards and Polling Units across the country under the Unified Campaign Structure as approved by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of our Party.”
