Gaskiya Youth Movement who has been identified as one of the groups who have been affiliated with the All Progressives Congress have asked the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to disqualify Bola Ahmed Tinubu from contesting the 2023 presidential primary of the party.
Tinubu, a former Lagos State Governor, is one of the presidential aspirants of the ruling party and is set to contest the party’s presidential primary, scheduled for Monday June 6th and 7th.
The members made the request in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/774/2022, filed before the Court.
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Tinubu and his political party are listed as first and second defendants in the suit, while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is listed as the third defendant.
They want the court to determine whether the National Leader of the ruling party can take part in the primaries or that of any other political party, given his “questionable educational background and date of birth”.
They also asked the court to declare that upon consideration of the relevant laws, the former Lagos State Governor cannot take part or contest in the primary election on the platform of the first defendant (APC).
The Abuja court was also asked to declare that given the questionable educational background and date of birth of the presidential aspirants, among other questionable issues, the APC “cannot allow and/or permit his participation in the primary election for the office of the president”.
The group also wants the court to declare that Tinubu “cannot participate by presenting himself in any primary elections with any political party in Nigeria to be nominated as a presidential aspirant for the 2023 general election.”
In another report, Yoruba elders, yesterday, defended Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu over comments that he deployed his political machinery to make General Muhammadu Buhari president of the country in 2015, saying the politician spoke out of anger.
General Secretary of the Yoruba Council of Elders, YCE, Dr Kunle Olajide, Dr Olajide said: “He (Tinubu) expressed his opinion which he has a right to. But those of us outside their circle cannot know the veracity of his facts but I can imagine that he played a lot of role in ensuring that the present administration came to be. There is no doubt about that, he was influential in ensuring that we had what we have now. He played a lot of role and we should credit him with the roles he played. To me, it was not out of place but he did that a little bit out of provocation.”
Leader of the Pan-Yoruba Socio-Political Organization, Afenifere, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, said he was not surprised by Tinubu’s remarks. “At this stage, I won’t react until after they have done their election. I won’t take part in the rigmarole between him and Buhari. I have warned him and Yemi (Osinbajo) to leave the APC. There is nothing that is happening that I am surprised about. If you will be honest, what is happening that I have not told you? When he came to me, I told him that Buhari was mocking and deceiving him and he is deceiving Buhari. There is nothing that is happening that surprises me, it is left for him to do the needful,” he said.