The Presidential Election Tribunal has dismissed the argument by the Independent National Election Commission(INEC) that suggests the PDP’s petition against President Muhammadu Buhari’s academic qualification for the 2019 election was a pre-election matter.
The Peoples Democratic Party in its argument held that Buhari did not meet the minimum educational requirements to contest for the election.
However, the Independent National Electoral Commission held that the PDP’s demand should only be regarded as a pre-election matter — Asking that the matter be struck off.
Me Mohammed, the tribunal’s head while addressing the issues ruled that Section 138 (1) (a) of the Electoral Act allows for the filing of the petition relating to an allegation of false information.
“I am of the view that the contents of section 138 (1) do not fall in the category of a pre-election matter,” he said.
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“Although the issue relates to a matter that happened before the election, the issues relate to vital points that cannot be relegated just to a pre-election matter.”
The tribunal, therefore, dismissed the application, with all other members of the panel not objecting to the lead ruling.