Kenneth Okonkwo: We’re Still Pursuing Shettima ‘Double Nomination” Case, We Have Locus Standi

Lawyer and Labour Party spokesman, Kenneth Okonkwo, has said that the dismissal of the case of double nomination tendered by the PDP against Vice President Kashim Shettima on the grounds of PDP not having locus standi to bring forth the case in court has not prevented the Labour party and its presidential candidate from bringing up the same case in court.

Speaking with ARISE NEWS on Wednesday Kenneth Okonkwo was asked if his party still stands a chance following the supreme court’s ruling against PDP who brought up the same issue on the 26th of May in court. He says that to think it’s not admissible anymore in court is “absolutely wrong, the issue before the supreme court was an issue of pre-election matter and when you say you don’t have jurisdiction to entertain a matter because the party has no locus standi it means everything that is before the court, no matter how articulate it is, is dead. 

“To my understanding as a lawyer, what the supreme court said is that PDP has no locus standi to challenge the pre-election matter of the APC because it has to do with their primaries. That is why you use the word aspirant.”

The Nollywood icon further explained that a judge on the supreme court may always give an obiter,  a statement based on his opinion, therefore the situation where Kashim Shettima  withdrew his candidacy as senator by writing to his party doesn’t save him from this charges.

“Excuse me, when you nominate a candidate, a nomination can only be valid when the list of candidates is published by INEC and handed over to the people. Does it not disturb you for somebody to claim that mere writing to a political party makes you to have withdrawn. No. Until it gets to INEC, and INEC specifically strikes you out. 

“This is because we are talking about candidacy not your aspiring to power. So the evidence we produced is to the fact that in INEC, which is the only commission that organizes elections, that as at the 14th of that month, he held double nominations and no evidence for now has been tendered to contradict that,” he saidm

 Okonkwo further said that that the Labour Party will not share the same fate as the PDP because it has locus standi.

 “We are now talking post election matter. We have the requisite locus standi because he challenged us in the general election.”

Miracle Elvis

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