Atiku receives Certificate of Return as PDP presidential candidate

A former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, on Wednesday, June 01, 2022, received his Certificate of Return as the presidential candidate of Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Atiku collected the certificate at the headquarters of the PDP at Wadata Plaza in Abuja.

“I have just arrived at the Wadata Plaza, headquarters of the @OfficialPDPNig, to collect the Certificate of Return as the presidential candidate of our great party, the PDP. A significant step toward creating One Nigeria,” Atiku wrote on his verified Twitter handle.

Atiku recently emerged as the presidential candidate of the PDP for the 2023 general election, having polled 371 votes to defeat his closest contender Nyesom Wike, Governor of Rivers State, who polled 237 votes.

Since his entry into politics in 1993, Atiku has unsuccessfully contested five times for the Office of President of Nigeria in 1993, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019.

Meanwhile, a lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi has approached the court again to challenge his eligibility to contest the presidency.

Jideobi in the suit, listed the PDP, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) as second, third, and fourth defendants respectively.

Jideobi is draggin the PDP candidate to court again over his citizenship.

One of the questions the plaintiff posed to the court is to determine “whether by the combined provisions of sections 1(1) & (2), 25 and 131(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), only a Nigeria citizen by birth can contest for the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

The lawyer also wants the court to determine “whether by the combined interpretation of sections 1(1) & (2), 25(1) & (2) and 131(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), and giving the circumstances surrounding the birth of the 1st Defendant, he can be cleared by the 2nd and 3rd defendants to contest for the office of the president of the federal republic of Nigeria”.

This is coming three months after Justice Inyang Ekwo dismissed a similar suit against Atiku, saying the suit lacked merit.