The Presidential Election Petitions Court has rejected the allegation made by Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), concerning dual citizenship and a drug conviction against President Bola Tinubu,Daily Trust reports.
This decision came as part of the judgment on objections raised by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Tinubu regarding Atiku’s eligibility to contest the presidential election scheduled for February 25.
Justice Moses Ugo, presiding over the case, ruled that the issues raised by Atiku and the PDP were considered new matters. He supported the objections raised by the APC and Tinubu, asserting that Atiku and the PDP could not introduce fresh claims that were not initially included in their petition regarding Tinubu’s eligibility.
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In his response to Tinubu’s challenge, Atiku had contended that he was constitutionally disqualified from running for the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria due to his involvement in a compromise agreement related to a narcotics-related crime (proceeds of crime) in the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division, where he forfeited $460,000.
Additionally, Atiku alleged that Tinubu had not disclosed in his form EC9 that he possessed dual citizenship, being a citizen of both Nigeria and Guinea, as he had voluntarily acquired citizenship in the Republic of Guinea.
