A Federal High Court in Abuja has declined to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to expunge the name of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, from the list of candidates for the 2023 presidential election.
Justice Binta Nyako yesterday dismissed the suit because the applicants, not being a registered political party, lacked the locus standi to appear before the court.
Justice Nyako noted that by the latest suit, the Incorporated Trustees of Kingdom Human Rights Foundation International had filed a multiplicity of suits over the APC presidential primary.
In the suit brought by its counsel, Jideobi Johnmary, the non-governmental organisation accused the APC of failing to comply with mandatory provisions of section 90(3), 84(13) of the Electoral Act, 2022, in nominating Tinubu as its presidential candidate.
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However, both the APC and Tinubu, who were cited in the suit as second and third defendants respectively, filed preliminary objections to challenge the competence of the suit.
They described the suit as non-justiciable, adding that it was statute-barred since it was not filed within 14 days after Tinubu’s name was submitted to the INEC.
