Two chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to stop plans to replace Kabiru Masari as the running mate of the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.

Tinubu had picked Masari as the interim vice presidential flag bearer of the APC pending the announcement of a substantive candidate as provided by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

However, the two chieftains, who were delegates at the just concluded APC National Convention, Zakari Maigari and Zubainatu Mohammed, in their suit marked FHC/ABJ CS/1059/2022, dated July 4, 2022, want the court to hold that the withdrawal of Masari would amount to the invalidation of the joint ticket of the party.

They are contending whether, by the combined effect of sections 142(1); 29(1), 31 and 33 of the Electoral Act, it is legally permissible for Masari to withdraw as the vice-presidential candidate of the APC and the running mate of Tinubu so as to be substituted or replaced with another person by the APC.

No date has been fixed for the hearing.