The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) has reserved rulings in applications by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), President-elect, Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) seeking the dismissal of the petition by Atiku Abubakar and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
INEC, Tinubu and the APC are praying the court to either dismiss the petition in whole or some of its paragraphs and other accompanying processes filed by the petitioners for offending the provisions of the law.
After taking arguments from lawyers to parties, the Justice Haruna Tsammani-led five-member panel announced that the rulings have been reserved to be delivered on the day of judgment in the main petition.
Lawyers who moved the applications for INEC, Tinubu and APC – Kemi Pinheiro, Yusuf Ali and Lateef Fagbemi (all Senior Advocates of Nigeria) prayed the court to grant the reliefs in their applications, seven in all.
INEC filed two, Tinubu filed three, while APC filed two.
Lawyer to the petitioners, Chris Uche (SAN) in counter argument, urged the court to dismiss all the applications and proceed to hear his client’s application on the merit.
The court has adjourned further pre-hearing session in the petition till Saturday for parties to agree on the schedule to be adopted for the hearing of the petition.
It, thereafter, rose briefly to resume shortly to commence further pre-hearing in the petition by the Peter Obi and the Labour Party (LP).
The court, after the short recess adjourned to 10 am Tomorrow.
When HE Atiku Abubakar and PDP lead counsel asked for five minutes or a stand down to enable his clients reach agreement with Respondents on timelines for witness appearances and few other issues, Tinubu and APC asked for outright adjournment to Monday, May 22.
After both parties agreed on Monday, the Tribunal brought it back to tomorrow, Saturday May 20, evidently not interested in wasting further time.
The court then rose for a brief recess.
More details will follow…
Read more.
—
©Copyright 2023 News Band
(If you would like to receive CURRENT NEWS updates from News Band on WhatsApp, or Telegram, or wish send eyewitness accounts/ reports/ articles, write to elstimmy@gmail.com and we will respond instantly. Follow us on twitter @News Band; like our Facebook page: News Band.)
