The Atiku-Okowa Presidential Advertising and marketing and marketing campaign of the Peoples Democratic Birthday celebration (PDP) has initiated staunch procedures to disqualify Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, primarily primarily based totally on his conviction and sentence for drug trafficking in the US.

However, the APC PCC challenged the PDP fast, declaring that the occasion no longer handiest lacked creativity but used to be also a copycat.

To oppose the APC’s efforts to gain PDP presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar disqualified from the election because of his involvement in the “#Atiku-Gate” and “Special Cause Vehicle, SPV” scandal, the PDP has taken staunch motion of its have.

The PDP claimed the day long past by that Tinubu’s conviction for against the law by a court of competent jurisdiction in the US disqualified him from operating in any election.

This used to be announced the day long past by in Abuja one day of a press convention by the Advertising and marketing and marketing campaign’s spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan.

The PDP walk neatly with

Ologbondiyan acknowledged that Tinubu’s nomination is null and invalid on story of a Chicago court’s scream heart’s contents to confiscate $460,000 in monies regarded as proceeds of crime, especially the sale and distribution of narcotics.

He mentioned, “Nigerians are no longer blind to the criminal topic concerning the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in admire of his criminal conviction and sentencing by a court of competent jurisdiction in the US over a criminal case of trafficking in narcotics for which Tinubu forfeited the sum of $460,000 to the affirm.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the US court in sentencing Asiwaju Tinubu ordered ‘that the funds in the amount of $460,000 in story 263226700 held by First Heritage Bank in the title of Bola Tinubu picture proceeds of narcotics trafficking or had been focused on financial transactions in violation of 18 U.S.C. S1956 and 1957 and for this reason fact these funds are forfeited to the US pursuant to 21 U.S.C. S881(a)(6) and 18 U.S.C S981.’

“From the declaration of the court and the sentencing, it is a ways evident that Asiwaju Tinubu used to be summarily convicted by the court, he took no step to yelp the judgment but acceded to the forfeiture of the $460,000 stumbled on to be the proceeds of narcotics trafficking.”

He additional mentioned, “Having been convicted and having acceded to be guilty as charged by manner of forfeiture of the $460,000, Nigeria is a signatory to World Convention is mandatorily obligated to draw the consequential attain of that conviction by advantage of Portion 137 (1) (d) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). 

“For readability, Portion 137 (1) (d) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) affords that:(1) A person shall no longer be qualified for election to the administrative center of President if….(d)

“He is below a sentence of loss of life imposed by any competent court of rules or tribunal in Nigeria or a sentence of imprisonment or beautiful for any offence spirited dishonesty or fraud (by no topic title known as) or for any different offence, imposed on him by any court or tribunal or substituted by a reliable authority for any different sentence imposed on him by this kind of court or tribunal.”

He explained that the import of the constitutional provision used to be that having been so convicted and fined and having acceded to the sentencing by manner of forfeiture of $460,000 and dangle no longer got any affirm pardon or acquitted by any court of competent jurisdiction, “Tinubu stays a convict and the consequential attain is that he can not contest the election at any stage in Nigeria.”

The PDP Advertising and marketing and marketing campaign equally mentioned, “The attain is that the list of the title of Bola Tinubu, who stands convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction on the ballotfor the 2023 presidential election is by the good thing about Portion 137 (1) (d) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) fundamentally illegal, invalid and wants to be expunged without lengthen.”

What’s PDP asking for?

The PDP spokesperson mentioned, “Our Advertising and marketing and marketing campaign has proceeded to the court tense the court to:

“Expose Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Presidential Candidate of the APC, having been convicted, as ineligible to contest the Presidential election by advantage of section 137 (1) (d) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

“Compel the Just National Electoral Price, INEC, to without lengthen delist Asiwaju Tinubu as Presidential candidate of the APC or any different political occasion for that topic and expunge his title from all materials and paperwork linked to the 2023 Presidential election.”

Basically primarily primarily based on him, the PDP advertising campaign will possible be submitting for an accelerated listening to in scream heart’s contents to establish the nation from an impending catastrophe.

He mentioned, “This case is in the hobby of the nation as our legal pointers draw no longer allow a convict, no longer to mention a person convicted on story of the world crime of trafficking in narcotic, to face election at any stage.

“Nigeria can not present you with the money for the embarrassment of having a convict have administrative center at any stage towards our legal pointers.”

APC’s Response to the PDP walk neatly with

Reacting to the PDP’s counter strikes, the day long past by, the Chief Spokesman of the APC Presidential Advertising and marketing and marketing campaign Council, PCC, Mr. Festus Keyamo, in a chat with Forefront, mentioned the major opposition occasion lacks originality

His phrases: “Why did they wait all these months till we filed forward of they’re now speeding to court? I challenged them bigger than two months ago, but they did nothing.

‘’It exhibits a group that is lacking in originality, lacking in strategies, and lacking in vision. It is apt an strive to make a counter-walk neatly with to our have.

“Sadly for them, Nigerians dangle considered by means of them already: SPV advocates which will possible be making an strive to flip the tide of public thought. Nigerians dangle determined; Nigerians dangle rejected them.

‘’Here is so comic that Nigerians are starting to gape that these are remorseless participants; leopards that can not change their pores and skin; as an different of Atiku facing the cameras, shed some tears and make an apology to the nation for abusing his administrative center as VP with SPVs, his reply, in summary, is, ‘what-about-you-too?’ Here is disastrously unhappy”

Also, reacting, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, director, Media and Publicity of the APC PCC, restated his assertion of January 18, 2023, where he pooh-poohed PDP’s “shameless skirting of concerns” the utilize of the assault as a defence.

He challenged Atiku to address the concerns with whether or no longer or he employed the whistleblower, Michael Achimugu, who swore to an oath; whether or no longer Atiku made a injurious conservation on how he and mature President Olusegun Obasanjo location up SPVs, equivalent to Marine Drift to have end public money; and whether or no longer the taped assert used to be Atiku’s.