In a recent ruling, the Supreme Court has dismissed the lawsuit brought by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) against Kassim Shettima’s alleged “double nomination.” The court rejected the PDP’s claims, stating that the party lacked standing to bring the lawsuit and that it was an internal matter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to which Shettima belongs.
Justice Adamu Jauro, who delivered the verdict, emphasized that the PDP’s interference in the case was unnecessary and distracting, as it revolved around an internal matter within another political party. The court concurred with the lower courts’ decisions and affirmed that the PDP’s claims lacked substance.
Despite the dismissal of the lawsuit, the People’s Democratic Party has been ordered to pay a two million naira judgment. Additionally, the justices declared that the PDP’s portrayal of the action as “sad” amounted to misleading the court.
It is worth noting that on July 6, 2022, Shettima voluntarily withdrew his nomination for the Senate, and he was subsequently replaced. Since he was no longer running for the Senate at the time, his concurrent role as vice president did not violate any prohibition against multiple nominations.
The Supreme Court justices reminded the PDP that their decision was based on the available information at the time and took into account the precedent set in the case of Uche Nwosu, on which the PDP relied. In the Nwosu case, nominations from two political parties for various posts were accepted.
The justices further expressed their disappointment with the People’s Democratic Party’s use of social media to trap and extort the Supreme Court, deeming it a regrettable and unnecessary tactic.
The court firmly held that a political party has no authority to contest the actions of another party or any decisions made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) regarding another party.