FESTUS Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has explained his absence from the legal team defending Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, in the Election Petition Tribunal.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Mr. Tinubu the winner of the 25th February presidential election, but his major rivals in the exercise, headed for the court to challenge his victory.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party are both claiming to have won the election and they have hired lawyers to prove their case in court.
On Tuesday morning, the list of Tinubu’s 48-man legal counsel went viral on social media.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) also released a 12-man list of senior lawyers to defend Tinubu.
However, the name of Keyamo is not on any of the lists.
“For those who made inquiries, a serving Minister (by our Constitution) cannot be listed in any private legal team, though he/she can support the team in preparation. Hence, the present cabinet Ministers who are SANs can only formally join the Election Petition team after 29th May“, he posted on his social media platform.
Keyamo was actively involved in the campaign of Tinubu, serving as a spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council.
He is currently the minister of state for Labour and Productivity.
- Source
Daily Trust