Baba-Ahmed seeks cancellation of Tinubu’s inauguration

The validity of Bola Tinubu’s inauguration as president on May 29 has been questioned by Labour Party (LP) vice-presidential candidate Datti Baba-Ahmed.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, as the victor of the presidential election on March 1.

Nevertheless, Baba-Ahmed stated that the APC did not meet the qualifications of Section 134 (2)(a) and (b) of the constitution for election to the office of President during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday.

According to the provisions of that section, the rightful winner is one who “has the highest number of votes cast at the election” and “has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election each of at least two-thirds of all the States in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja”.

The LP vice-presidential candidate said that Tinubu’s inauguration would be unlawful in his remarks to President Muhammadu Buhari and Judge Olukayode Ariwoola, the CJN of Nigeria.

“Mr President, do not hold that inauguration. CJN, Your Lordship, do not partake in unconstitutionality,” he said.

READ ALSO:Incompetent, insensitive to Nigeria’s pluralism, Baba-Ahmed dissects Buhari’s govt

According to him, swearing in a ticket that has not met the requirements of the constitution is ending democracy.

“That is my interpretation and that is indeed a correct interpretation. You cannot swear [in] people who have not met the constitutional requirements; you can’t do that,” Baba-Ahmed added.

“If you do it, you have done something unlawful, something unconstitutional. I’m not taking risks with my safety and with my life. It was more extreme for [INEC Chairman, Mahmood] Yakubu to issue that certificate; it was reckless. He’s putting all our lives in danger.”

The LP and Peter Obi, its presidential candidate, filed a suit before the Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja on Tuesday to contest Tinubu’s declaration as the victor of the presidential election on February 25, 2023.

The first through fourth respondents on the petition with the file number CA/PEPC/03/2023 are INEC, Tinubu, Senator Kashim Shettima, who is his running mate, and the APC.

The petitioners are asking the tribunal to rule that Tinubu was not legitimately elected with the majority of the votes cast in a fair election. They are asking for a court order compelling INEC to take back the certificate of return it had previously given to the APC candidate and give a new one to Obi.

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