Tinubu was illegally nominated – PDP

Why is this important: According to the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, the legality of the sponsorship of Tinubu as the APC candidate was voided based on the 2022 Electoral Act.

He made this known during a press briefing monitored on Facebook Live by The Punch on Saturday, October 8, 2022.

Ologunagba drew a parallel between Tinubu’s nomination and that of Adegboyega Oyetola as the APC candidate in the just concluded Osun State Governorship election.

Recall that a High Court judgement recently pronounced Oyetola’s nomination a nullity.

Meanwhile, the PDP Publicity Secretary claimed that the role played by the APC Caretaker committee, Mai Mala Buni, who also doubled as the state governor of Zamfara State, was illegal in line with Section 183 of the Electoral Act.

When asked whether the PDP would head to court to establish his claim, Ologunagba recalled that the party had earlier advised the APC concerning the matter and had studied the recent judgment of the Oyetola case.

Ologunagba’s word: “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.”

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

Ologunagba comments on PDP crisis: Responding to a question on the ongoing tussle between the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu and the camp loyal to the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, Ologunagba said the party’s presidential candidate, Abubakar Atiku, had made moves to reconcile the aggrieved members.

He added that the former Vice President’s efforts to reconcile Wike to the party have demonstrated to Nigerians that he was a unifier.

Ologunagba’s word: “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.”