Nigeria's Justice at Stake if Tinubu's Presidential Candidacy Isn't Disqualified- Umar Sani

Prominent lawyer Umar Sani has expressed serious concerns about the state of justice in Nigeria if the Court does not disqualify Bola Tinubu, a presidential candidate.

According to his Verified twitter account, Sani thoroughly analyzed the petition filed against Tinubu, Shetima, APC, and INEC by APM and believes that it raises significant issues regarding Tinubu’s nomination process.

Contrary to popular belief that the Supreme Court had already dealt with the issue of double nomination, Sani argues that the main issue here is invalid nomination rather than double nomination.

He points out that at the time Tinubu selected his running mate, he himself was no longer eligible as a candidate according to the Constitution and the Electoral Act.

Sani goes on to explain the complexities of the case, stating that the APC and Tinubu, along with INEC, attempted to avoid the double nomination accusation but unintentionally fell into the trap of invalid nomination.

All parties involved agreed to withdraw the placeholder candidate on June 24, 2022, and replace them on July 14, 2022. However, this 21-day gap between withdrawal and replacement violates the provisions set by the Constitution and Electoral Act.

According to the Constitution, a presidential candidate must nominate a vice presidential candidate, and without a valid selection, the entire ticket becomes invalid.

The Electoral Act also mandates political parties to replace withdrawn candidates within 14 days. APM argues that the APC had no valid presidential candidate on July 14, 2022, as their vice presidential candidate withdrew 21 days before a replacement was made, thus violating the law.

Sani asserts that this violation cannot be rectified by any court and believes the case is a matter of divine power. He also criticizes INEC for disregarding the facts presented in the petition and accuses the institution of bias.

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