The Presidential Election Petition Court closed on Monday Pedro ObiThe petition challenging Bola Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 elections.
A five-member tribunal headed by Haruna Tsammani adjourned the suit until Wednesday May 10, after considering some preliminary issues by Mr. Obi’s legal team led by Livy Uzoukwu, a Senior Counsel for Nigeria (SAN).
Mr Obi, who was the Labor Party’s presidential candidate, came third in the election but is praying to the court to annul the polls due to alleged malpractice by Nigeria’s electoral commission, INEC.
Mr. Tinubu and All Progressives Congress (APC) lawyer Wole Olanipekun and Lateef Fagbemi, both SANs, informed the court that they had submitted their responses to pre-hearing questions previously posed by the court.
The court, which held its opening session on Monday, subsequently adjourned Mr. Obi’s petition until Wednesday, May 10.
Tinubu, who was declared the winner of the presidential election on the APC platform, is fighting to preserve his victory amid frantic calls from opposition parties to order the removal of his mandate.
One of the main contenders in the legal dispute, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), urged the Presidential Election Petition Court to allow a live broadcast of the court proceedings.
Prayers
Atiku and the PDP, who jointly filed their petition with the court, are praying for “an order instructing the court registry and the parties on the modalities of admitting media professionals and their equipment into the courtroom.”
In the application filed by his lawyer, Chris Uche, SAN, Atiku argued that the petitions before the court are “matters of national interest involving citizens who voted during the last elections.”
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Atiku further argued that the litigation presents a unique constitutional dimension for the court to determine.
“An integral part of the Court’s constitutional duty to conduct the proceedings in public is the discretion to allow public access to the proceedings, either physically or by electronic means.”
The petitioner further contended that the Court of Appeals’ adoption of the virtual hearing and electronic filing allows the Presidential Election Petition Court to broadcast its proceedings live.
Citing the maxim that justice should not only be done, but seen done, Atiku said: “Television of court proceedings is no stranger to this Honorable Court and will enhance public confidence.”
This newspaper reported on a similar call by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, urging the court to grant permission for the media to broadcast live court proceedings.
After the court heard three of the five petitions against Mr. Tinubu, it was adjourned until Tuesday, May 9, to hear Mr. Atiku’s petition.
Earlier, the court held its inaugural session during which it assured all the disputants that it would do justice to all parties in the case pending before it.
The court assurances came in the context of Atiku’s doubts about the impartiality of the court in determining his petition without influence.