PDP decries legality of Tinubu’s candidacy 

Precious Yusuf 

The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Debo Ologunagba, has questioned the legality of the sponsorship of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress(APC). 

He said that it did not follow the voided the 2022 Electoral Act.

Ologunagba stressed that the recently passed court judgment that nullified the candidate of the APC in the recently concluded Osun State governorship election, Adgeboyega Oyetola, could also apply to the candidacy of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

In a press briefing in Abuja,Ologunagba claimed that the illegality of the role of the APC Caretaker committee headed by Mai Mala Buni was illegal. He made this claim on the ground that Mai Mala Bala who was the state governor of Zamfara State also doubled as the head of the committee, was illegal based on Section 183 of the Electoral Act.

He said, “Mai Mala Bala was assumed to be Chairman of the APC and the laws say that if you are an executive governor you cannot double as Chairman. This has led the court to nullify the candidacy of the Governor of Osun State, Oyetola.

The same Mai Mala Buni was the caretaker chairman that sponsored the nomination of Tinubu. We are saying that if the process that sponsored the nomination of the presidential candidate of the APC was illegal, then the nomination of Bola Tinubu is illegal, null and void,” he said. 

When asked whether the PDP would go to a court of competent jurisdiction to establish these claims, he said the party had earlier advised the APC concerning the matter and had studied the recent judgment of the Oyetola case.

He however said PDP was yet to decide on whether they would take the matter to court or not. 

“The  PDP will not announce whether we are going to court. When we want to go to court, you will know.”

He then went on to speak on the recent crisis that was rocking his party and urged supporters to keep having faith. He pointed out that Atiku was a peacemaker who believed everyone was one. 

“You mistake Atiku to be PDP. Atiku is a product of PDP. I understand that Nigerians are legitimately concerned for the party but reconciliation is not a 100m dash, it is a marathon. Nigerians have accepted Atiku as a unifier, The multiple actions of the Board of Trustees, National Working Committee, and Atiku have given Nigerians reasons to trust us to bring all party members together.  You will begin to see more actions. The NWC and the BoT are working. We are united, you saw that play out at the book launch of Solomon Lar,”he said.