President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have urged the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal to dismiss the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, challenging the Feb.23 general election on technicalities and evidential grounds.
The prayers formed the gamut of other requests contained in both Mr Buhari and APC’s final addresses to be adopted on August 23 made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.
The respondents had described Mr Abubakar’s address that urged the tribunal to sack Buhari and affirm him (Abubakar) president, as a “wild goose chase prayer’’.
They alleged that PDP erroneously allowed a candidate who was not a Nigerian by birth to contest the highest position, adding that such was an adventure that violated the provision of the Constitution.
The president and his party therefore prayed the tribunal to invoke Section 131 (a) of the constitution to dismiss the petition.
NAN reports that section 131 (a) of the constitution strictly holds that a person must be a citizen of Nigeria by birth to qualify to contest the office of the president.
