You Can’t Disqualify Candidate After Election, Petition Court Rules On Vice President Shettima

The Presidential Petition Election Tribunal has ruled that the Allied Peoples Movement (APM’s) petition challenging qualification of Vice President Kashim Shettima of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was a pre-election matter.
Justice Haruna Tsammani, who led a five-member panel gave the ruling today, September 6 in Abuja.
Recall that the APM challenged the qualification of the Vice president, Kashim Shettima among others.
Reading his verdict, Justice Tsammani said that the matter ought to have been challenged before the conduct of the presidential election.
“The issue of qualification or disqualification is a constitutional one. The issue of disqualification or qualification is a pre-election matter.
“It must be determined before the conduct of the election. This court has no jurisdiction to hear the matter and even if it does, it is status-barred because it is a pre-election matter.”
Justice Tsammani said that the judgements would be delivered separately on the petition.
“We will deliver judgements on the petitions separately. The petition, number four will be treated first.”