President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have asked the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal to dismiss the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate Atiku Abubakar challenging the election on “technicalities and evidential grounds.”
The prayers formed the grounds of other requests contained in both Buhari and APC final addresses to be adopted on August 23 according to agency reports.
The respondents had described Abubakar’s address that urged the tribunal to sack Buhari and affirm him (Abubakar) president, as a “wild goose chase prayer”.
They alleged that PDP erroneously allowed a candidate who was not a Nigerian by birth to contest the highest position, adding that such was an adventure that violated the provision of the Constitution.
Buhari and his party therefore prayed the tribunal to invoke Section 131 (a) of the constitution to dismiss the petition.
Section 131 (a) of the constitution holds that a person must be a citizen of Nigeria by birth to qualify to contest the office of the president.
Atiku was was born on Nov.25, 1946 in Jada, a former Adamawa Province of Northern Cameroon before a plebiscite was conducted in 1961 the responds claim is not a Nigerian by birth. that
The parties alleged that Abubakar was not qualified to enter the contest as the constitution forbade him from canvassing for votes as a presidential candidate.
