PDP, CUPP desperate to have Buhari disqualified

On two fronts, the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and its surrogate political group, Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) are desperately seeking ways of disqualifying President Muhammadu Buhari from the 16 February election .

On the campaign podium in Enugu Friday, PDP chairman, Uche Secondus, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to disqualify Buhari. His reason was because of the presence of two governors from Niger Republic, Issa Moussa of Zinder Region and Zakiri Umar of Maradi, at Buhari’s crowd jammed rally in Kano on Wednesday.

Though there is no known electoral law banning foreigners from attending Nigerian rallies, the PDP wants the INEC to shove Buhari out of the race.

“What we witnessed in Kano yesterday at the APC rally. President Buhari brought in mercenaries – two governors from Niger Republic – with arms, with money, with people to come and vote to influence our election in Nigeria,” Mr Secondus was quoted to have said.

“I hereby … as PDP chairman, call on on INEC Chairman, Prof. Yakubu, to disqualify President Buhari for bringing mercenaries from abroad to influence our election.”

On Thursday, CUPP filed a suit seeking to disqualify President Muhammadu Buhari from participating in the general elections.

“We the opposition political parties have, therefore, filed litigation at the Federal High Court seeking to declare him (Buhari) unfit to contest for 2019 election,” Mr Ugochinyere Ikenga, a former Bukola Saraki aide said.

According to the CUPP spokesman, the opposition parties filed the suit based on claims that the President is not healthy enough to lead the nation for another four years.

He also noted the allegations by the wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, that her husband’s government had been hijacked some people.

Ikenga stressed that it was for these reasons among others that the coalition took the decision to approach the court to declare the President unfit to run for a second term, Channels TV reported.

“We are also seeking from the court an order disqualifying President Buhari from contesting the election to the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and an injunction restraining (the Independent National Electoral Commission) INEC from recognising his candidature,” he added.

And as if already conceding defeat of the PDP, he insisted that the group was taking the steps in its bid to save the country from what he described as a ‘calamity’.