The Nigerian Government has declared Monday May 29 a public holiday to commemorate the inauguration of President-elect Bola Tinubu as the 16th democratically elected president of Nigeria.

Tinubu will succeed current President Muhammadu Buhari after swearing in on Monday, May 29. Buhari was first elected in 2015, reelected in 2019 to complete a two-term tenure as president.

Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who announced the public holiday, felicitated with Nigerians on the momentous occasion.

The Supreme Court dismissed a suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seeking the disqualification of Bola Tinubu as a candidate in the last presidential election.

The suit, which alleged the inappropriate nomination of Tinubu’s running mate for the February 2023 presidential election, Kashim Shettima, impliedly sought to stop the president-elect from being sworn in as president on 29 May.

Panel ruling

A five-person panel led by Inyang Okoro dismissed the suit unanimously on Friday.

Adamu Jauro, a member of the panel who delivered the lead judgement, held that the PDP lacked the legal right to file a suit on an internal affair of APC.

“It should be noted that no political party can challenge the nomination of another political party.

“A political party lacks the right to challenge the activities of INEC on account of the nomination of another political party’s candidate.  No court has the jurisdiction to entertain such a suit by another party,” the court held.

The court said PDP failed to show any harm it suffered because of Shettima’s alleged double nomination.

Court judgment

Agreeing with the Court of Appeal’s earlier judgement dismissing the suit,” Jauro said, “I am in complete agreement with the Appeal Court that the PDP lacks the right to file this suit.

“The appellant was unable to point to where the lower court determined the substantive issues on its merit.

“It is clear that the suit is statute-barred. Hence this court has no power to delve into the merit of the merit of the suit.”

The judge added: “It is frivolous and bound to fail fraught with manifest malady. It has been a waste of precious time and judicial energy.

“Counsel should do better to advise their clients to desist from suit frivolous matters.

“The appeal is grossly lacking in merit and it is hereby dismissed.”

The court awarded the cost of 2 million Naira against PDP and in favour of the respondents

The judgement came three days ahead of the inauguration of Tinubu as Nigeria’s president.

Muhammadu Buhari

Outgoing Muhammadu Buhari had on Thursday conferred Nigeria’s highest national honour, GCFR, on Tinubu preparatory to the president-elect’s inauguration. The second highest national honour, GCON, was also conferred on vice president-elect Kashim Shettima.

The PDP’s suit predated the February 2023 presidential election. The case differs from the election petition case that the party filed at the presidential election court in the aftermath of the February election to challenge Mr Tinubu’s victory.

The party filed the suit challenging the Tinubu/Shettima candidature suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja on 28 July 2022.