Former minister of state for education, Emeka Nwajiuba, has filed a suit seeking to disqualify, the Presidential candidate of the All Progressive party, Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The ex-minster that the primary elections of the APC and PDP that produced the presidential candidates were marred by vote-buying.
He filled the suit at the federal high court in Abuja with a group of Trustees of Rights for All International.
Mr. Nwajiuba contested for the APC’s presidential ticket in the Party’s primary election in June. In his suit, he asked the court to cancel all the votes garnered by Tinubu and declare him as the candidate of the party.
He also asked the court to cancel all the votes garnered by Mr. Atiku of the PDP.
According to the report by Punch Newspaper, the case with suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/942/22 has the APC, the PDP, Mr Tinubu, Atiku, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants.
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Mr. Nwajiuba was the first aspirant to procure the N100 million nomination and expression of interest forms of the APC.
He also resigned as a minister in line with the 2022 Electoral Act ahead of all other ministers who contested the APC’s primary election.
However, Mr. Nwajiuba did not show up for the primary elections of the all-progressive party on the 8th of June.
He subsequently claimed that he stayed away from the convention because the APC did not zone the ticket to the South-east and he did “not want to be part of the dollar and Naira bazaar”.
In his suit, Mr. Nwajiuba attached video evidence of former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, claiming that the delegates were bribed to vote.
In his suit, Mr. Nwajiuba asked the court to determine if the composition of the delegates contravened Article 11(A) 12(1) and 13(1) of the constitution of the APC.
Similarly, the plaintiff asked the court whether the composition of delegates at the PDP primary contravened Section 33(1) and (5) (c) of the constitution of the PDP.
In all, Mr. Nwajiuba is seeking 26 reliefs including barring Messrs Tinubu and Atiku from ever contesting offices in the future.
In response to this the spokesperson for Atiku, Paul Ibe, told source that the ex-minister must provide evidence to back up his claims when they meet in court.
He stated that the election was free and free, with officers of the EFCC at the venue to prevent the inducement of voters.
“Was he on ground? Was he at the National Stadium for the PDP primaries? So, if he was not at the primaries, how would he have known for a fact? It is easy to make allegations, we will meet him in court. Was he not the gentleman who chickened out of his own primary?
We will meet in court. We need to say it outrightly, we did not procure any vote. The process was opened and it was a free and fair contest. Also, Atiku Abubakar won on the superiority of his candidacy. The members of the delegates at the primaries were convinced that he stood the best.
The EFCC was there to monitor the election, so, I don’t know where he is manufacturing his evidence from,” he said.
When our reporter called APC’s spokesperson, Felix Morka, for his comments, he said he needed to contact the National Legal Adviser of the party.
