APC presidential aspirant asks court to disqualify Tinubu over bribing delegates with Dollars
Nwajiuba attached as evidence a video recording showing the immediate past Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, lamenting that delegates to the APC primary sold their votes.
One of the presidential aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, and a group, Incorporated Trustees of Rights for All International, have filed a lawsuit before a Federal High Court in Abuja seeking an order declaring Nwajiuba as the authentic APC Presidential candidate.
Nwajiuba, is also immediate past Minister of State for Education who scored only one vote at the APC presidential primary is also asking for the cancellation of the votes scored by former Lagos governor, Bola Tinubu and the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) candidate Atiku Abubakar.
The APC, PDP, Tinubu, Atiku, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the Independent National Electoral Commission are the first through sixth defendants in the lawsuit with case number FHC/ABJ/CS/942/22.
Nwajiuba, who purchased the APC presidential form for N100m, but polled only one vote at the June 8 primary, accused Tinubu of bribing delegates with dollars.
The plaintiffs also attached as evidence a video recording showing the immediate past Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, lamenting that delegates to the APC primary sold their votes.
“Those who voted at the APC primaries, who are they? They are ordinary Nigerians. The small money they got solved their immediate problem, now they are saying they made a mistake; you are now hearing different things,” Amaechi said at the 60th birthday celebration of Apostle Eugene Ogu, General Overseer of Abundant Life Evangel Mission, last week.
Based on the evidence, Nwajiuba and RAI presented 25 issues for determination by the court.
Specifically, the ex-minister asked the court to determine whether the composition of the delegates contravened Article 11(A) 12(1) and 13(1) of the constitution of the APC.
The ex-minister also asked the court to determine if the composition of the delegates at the PDP primary contravened Section 33(1) and (5) (c) of the constitution of the party.
The plaintiffs prayed the court to determine whether having regard to the clear unambiguous and express provisions and tenor of Sections 6(6) (A) (B) and (C) read alongside Section 15(5) of the 1999 Constitution, the court has the inherent judicial powers to nullify, cancel and declare as illegal the Presidential primaries of the APC and the PDP.
Nwajiuba asked the court to determine if all the votes cast in favour of Tinubu and Atiku at the special national convention of the APC and PDP are illegal, null and void and of no effect whatsoever on the grounds of corruption and selling of delegates’ votes and voter inducement.
Lastly, the ex-minister prayed the court to decide if having regard to the express provisions of paragraphs 1 and 8 of the 5th schedule of the 1999 Constitution, the corrupt conduct of the “third defendant (Tinubu) and the 4th defendant (Atiku) in buying votes and corruptly inducing delegates with dollars and naira in various sums to secure their votes at the special national convention… disqualifies them from further seeking, contesting and holding the office of the President.”
26 reliefs
Consequently, the ex-minister is seeking 26 reliefs including an order that the composition of delegates at the APC and the PDP was not properly constituted.
Specifically, Nwajiuba asked the court to rule that Atiku and Tinubu along with their agents bribed delegates with dollars and that the votes they got should be declared illegal.
The plaintiffs are seeking a “declaration that the conduct of the 3rd (Tinubu) and 4th (Atiku) defendants who by way of corrupt inducements of delegates with US dollars which being a foreign currency and non-legal tender in Nigeria under the CBN Act… used the dollars for the inducement of votes in favour of the 3rd (Tinubu) and 4th (Atiku) defendants have rendered the votes they scored at the special convention of the 1st defendant (APC) and the 2nd defendant (PDP) illegal, void and invalid and of no effect whatsoever and thus inhibiting (Tinubu and Atiku) from benefiting from the proceeds of their gross illegalities.”
Tinubu’s Certificate Saga And Source Of Income
The plaintiffs also asked the court to declare that Tinubu could not be recognised as the Presidential candidate of the APC because the money he used in purchasing the APC form could not be traced to any business.
He asked the court to make a declaration that Tinubu lacked the minimum qualification to run for the office of the President which is a secondary school certificate, a document which he had failed to submit but tendered his university certificate instead.
Finally, they are seeking an order, “returning the 2nd plaintiff (Nwajiuba) as the duly elected/nominated Presidential candidate of the 1st defendant (APC) being that by the operation of Section 90(3), the 2nd plaintiff, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba is the only contestant out of the 10 contestants whose source of N100m is verified and complied with in the Electoral Act as contained in the printout of the names of the bank statement.”
In a supporting affidavit deposed to by one Abadom Chidinma, on behalf of the ex-minister and the RAI, it was stated that the evidence presented to the court was genuine including Amaechi’s claim and that of Chief Dele Momodu of the PDP that votes were sold at the primaries.
The deponent also argued that both the APC and the PDP have the obligation to observe the federal character principle in the selection of Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates and that INEC ought not to accept any nomination that contravenes the country’s constitution.
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