Atiku Abubakar has applauded the Supreme Court for ruling out a suit filed against 84(12) of the Electoral Act, 2022, by President Muhammadu Buhari and Abubakar Malami, Attorney General of the Federation.
The PDP Presidential candidate commended the apex court ruling in a statement shared on his Twitter page on Friday, June 24.
Read Also: Electoral Act: Supreme Court Dismisses Buhari’s Suit On Section 84
The ruling of the Supreme Court on Section 84 (12) is commendable. It affirms my position of the independence of the judiciary and the other arms of government, namely the legislature and the executive, which is the bedrock for the development of any nation.
— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) June 24, 2022
Buhari had, on February 25, 2022, asked the National Assembly to delete Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act, arguing that it was unconstitutional.
The section reads:
No political appointee at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at the convention or congress of any political party for the purpose of nominating candidates for any election.
Following the refusal of the National Assembly to comply with the request, Buhari and the AGF, on April 29, filed the suit marked SC/CV/504/2022 at the Supreme Court to challenge the section.
The Supreme Court in a unanimous decision by a seven-man panel led by Justice Muhammad Dattijo, however, struck out the suit, saying it lacked the jurisdiction to entertain it.
Meanwhile, Atiku said the ruling affirmed his position on the independence of the judiciary and the other arms of government, adding that under no circumstance should one arm override another arm of government.
The former vice president said.
It affirms my position of the independence of the judiciary and the other arms of government, namely the legislature and the executive, which is the bedrock for the development of any nation. Under no circumstance must one arm lord over another arm of government.
