The court of appeal in Abuja has dismissed an appeal by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seeking the disqualification of Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima as presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The PDP, in the suit filed on July 28, 2022, claimed that Shettima’s nomination as Tinubu’s running mate was in breach of the provisions of sections 29(1), 33, 35, and 84(1)(2) of the Electoral Act, 2022.

The party argued that Shettima’s nomination to contest the position of vice-president and Borno central senatorial seat — at the same time — contravened the law.

The PDP, which sought an order disqualifying the APC, Tinubu, and Shettima from contesting the presidential election, also sought an order nullifying their candidacy.

However, Inyang Ekwo, the trial judge, dismissed the suit on the grounds that the PDP lacked the locus standi to institute the suit.

Not satisfied, the PDP appealed the judgment.

Delivering judgment in the appeal on Friday, a three-member panel of the court of appeal led by James Abundaga held that the PDP failed to establish that it had locus standi to institute the case.

Abundaga described the PDP as a “busybody”, who dabbled into issues that were internal affairs of the APC.

“The appellant, having failed to disclose its locus standi, this appeal fails and it is hereby dismissed,” he said.

The judge also awarded N5 million cost against the appellant’s lawyer, J. O. Olotu.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council says there was no meeting between Bola Tinubu, president-elect, and Olukayode Ariwoola, chief justice of Nigeria (CJN).

The campaign council was reacting to reports that Tinubu met with the CJN in the UK.

In a statement on Thursday, Bayo Onanuga, media director of the campaign council, said there is an attempt to create doubt about the legitimacy of the election that produced Tinubu as president-elect.

Onanuga said the president-elect is currently in Paris, France, and not in the UK.

“The story was a pure concoction from the hallucinating minds of hatchet men bent on creating doubts and public distrust about the legitimacy of our recent election, which was won by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” the media director said.

“We refute emphatically that there has been no clandestine meeting between the president-elect and the respected chief justice of our country, anywhere. It’s pure fabricated news, groundless in fact and authenticity.

“To show that the story was a mere salacious fiction, meant to draw traffic to the discredited purveyor, it claimed the Chief Justice left Nigeria for London on 11 March, on a wheelchair to board a plane.

“The president-elect left Nigeria on 21 March, 10 clear days thereafter. What kind of appointment or secret meeting will the two men have arranged in London, with such widely disparate arrival dates, except in the imagination of the false news merchants?

“We can confirm that the president-elect, who left Nigeria Tuesday, has not been in London. He is right now in France to have a deserved rest, after a hectic campaign that began in January 2022.

“He will go to London thereafter before proceeding to Mecca for the lesser Hajj.”

Festus Akande, spokesperson of the supreme court, is yet to respond to an enquiry sent to him by newsmen on the matter.

Ayodele Fayose, former governor of Ekiti, has reacted to his suspension by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

On Thursday, the national working committee of the PDP suspended Fayose, Anyim Pius Anyim, former secretary to the government of the federation; Ibrahim Shema, former governor of Katsina; Dennis Ityavyar (Benue), and Aslam Aliyu (Zamfara) over alleged anti-party activities.

The PDP also asked Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue, to appear before a disciplinary committee over the same allegation.

Reacting to the development through Lere Olayinka, his spokesperson, Fayose said his suspension was akin to the “last kick of a dead horse”.

The former governor said those in the PDP leadership who suspended him were “only entertaining themselves with the purported suspension as their latest comedy skit”.

He said in a matter of days the “tenure of Ayu as national chairman of PDP will become history and the party will enjoy a new lease of life”.

Fayose said he and other members of the PDP stuck with the party “when Ayu and his cohorts left it to die”, adding that they would “rescue (the party) and give it life in due course”.

“The purported suspension will have no leg to stand,” he added.