Ahead of the May 29 swearing-in, President-elect Bola Tinubu and his party are faced with the challenge of the leadership of the 10th National Assembly, on top of growing number of petitions from the opposition.
Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party( PDP), has filed a petition, asking the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to disqualify Tinubu from being sworn in as president on May 29 on the ground that he has dual citizenship.
Atiku said Tinubu acquired the citizenship of the Republic of Guinea, adding that he is constitutionally not qualified to have contested for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He said the declaration of Tinubu as President-elect cannot stand, adding that “Tinubu holds dual citizenship of Nigeria and Guinea, having voluntarily acquired the citizenship of the Republic of Guinea. That the petitioners shall rely on the 2nd respondent’s International Passport of the Republic of Guinea with his name there on.”
Atiku added that Tinubu in his affidavit in support of his personal particulars submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission did not disclose any of these elements of constitutional disqualification stated in paragraph 1.2 (I) AB’s 1.2(I) in the petition.
Tinubu, who recently arrived in Nigeria from a three-week rest after the 2023 Presidential election, has been meeting within major stakeholders of the party, especially candidates interested in the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.
BusinessDay gathered that although the party is yet to conclude arrangements on the zoning of the National Assembly leadership, Tinubu is taking steps to avert a repeat of the 2015 experience where the APC lost the National Assembly leadership to the opposition.
He moved into the Defence House on Tuesday at Maitama, the traditional home of incoming Presidents, where he has continued to hold crucial meetings and other engagements ahead of his inauguration as President.
After one of the meetings, Abdullahi Adamu, national chairman of APC, simply asked Nigerians to be patient with the party over the zoning of the 10th National Assembly leadership.
“Nigerians should be patient with the party. We should wait. What is good for the country is what is good for us as a party. We are only celebrating the victory of our party now,” he told journalists.
The meeting was attended by Kashim Shettima, the Vice-President-elect; AbdulRasak Abdulrahaman, governor of Kwara State; Abubakar Kyari, APC deputy national chairman (North); Emma Eneukwu, deputy national chairman (South); Iyiola Omisore, national secretary.
Others at the meeting were Ahmed Lawan, Senate President; Ovie Omo-Agege, deputy Senate President; Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the House of Representatives; and Yusuf Zailani, speaker of Kaduna State House of Assembly.
Inside sources at the meeting said the Senate presidency may go to the South-South (a Christian), while the speakership may go to the North-West (a Muslim).
They said the North-Central is being considered for the deputy Senate presidency, while a lawmaker from the South-East may become the next deputy speaker.
At least 10 senators-elect have signified interest in the Senate presidency. They are, Uzor Orji Kalu, the Senate chief whip; Godswill Akpabio, former minister of Niger Delta Affairs; Barau Jibrin, chairman of Senate Committee on Appropriation; Lawan, the current Senate president; Danjuma Goje, former governor of Gombe; Adams Oshiomhole, former Edo governor; Abdul-Aziz Yari, former Zamfara governor; Dave Umahi, outgoing governor of Ebonyi; and Ali Ndume, former Senate leader.
Those that have expressed interest in the speakership of the House of Representatives include: Ahmed Wase, deputy speaker; Gagdi (APC, Plateau), Benjamin Kalu (APC, Abia); Aminu Jaji (APC, Zamfara); Makki Yalleman (APC-Jigawa), Tajudeen Abass (Kaduna); Sada Soli (APC, Katsina), Muktar Betara (APC, Borno), Abdulraheem Olawuyi (APC, Kwara) and Miriam Onuoha (APC, Imo).
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While lawmakers-elect are jostling for the top posts in the National Assembly, the outcome of the presidential election is still being challenged by several opposition parties.
Atiku had on Wednesday lampooned Tinubu, describing his identity as questionable.
Atiku, while responding to Tinubu and APC’s reply to his petition challenging the process and the outcome of the February 25 presidential election, said that unlike Tinubu, he is unencumbered by drugs and identity scandals.
Atiku’s lead counsel, Chris Uche, a senior advocate of Nigeria, had filed the response to Tinubu’s reply to his earlier petition, where Atiku insisted that Tinubu is constitutionally disabled from contesting for the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He alleged that Tinubu is unfit to lead Nigeria having been indicted for drug-related offences in the United States of America and made to forfeit a sum of $460,000 as a compromise agreement.
The PDP presidential candidate justified why the declaration of Tinubu as President-elect cannot stand, adding that against the law, “Tinubu holds dual citizenship of Nigeria and Guinea, having voluntarily acquired the citizenship of the Republic of Guinea”.
He also accused Tinubu of not disclosing facts of his constitutional qualifications in his Form EC9 submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, contrary to the provisions of the law.
