By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The Supreme Court of Nigeria on Friday accused the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of using the social media to bully and terrorise judges.
The PDP which ruled the African country from 1999-2015 had filed a suit seeking to void the election of President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on the grounds that his running mate, Kashim Shettima, was guilty of double nomination.
The party said Shettima was holding the nomination of Borno Central senatorial district on the platform of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) when he was nominated as the vice presidential candidate of the party in the Feb. 25 presidential election.
A five-member panel of the apex court dismissed the appeal and held that the appellant had no locus standi to institute the suit.
Justice Inyang Okoro while delivering judgment judgement on the suit, held that the PDP tried to mislead the apex court by claiming that the lower court found that there was indeed a double nomination.
He said, “The appellant stated to this court that the court below found that there was indeed double nomination and that the 4th respondent knowingly allowed himself to be nominated in two constituencies.
“I have searched the entirety of the record and indeed the judgement of the court below and there is no such finding. To think that learned senior counsel will mislead the court is sad.
“For public policy sake, I must state that indeed the 4th (Shettima) respondent withdrew from the nomination for Borno central district on the 6th of July 2022, exhibited as exhibit APC 1 on page 58 of the record of appeal.
“The political party sent to the INEC same 6th of July, 2022, the notice of withdrawal. The political party further sent on the 10th of July, 2022, a notification of dates for the conduct of fresh primaries for the senatorial district and the latter letter exhibit APC2 on page 59 of the record carried the reference of Exhibit APC1.
“That is as at the 6th of July, 2022, there was no longer nomination of the 4th respondent for Borno central senatorial distict and there could not have been double nomination on the 14th of July, 2022.
“Using the social media to terrorize and bully the justices of the supreme court by the appellant is appalling and unprofessional.
“The appeal is without merit and is dismissed. I abide by the award of cost in the lead judgement.”
