- Tinubu in victory dance
- As Atiku, PDP seek live broadcast of court proceedings for openness
With the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) just dismissing the petition by the Action Peoples Party (APP), challenging the declaration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the February 25 presidential election after Monday’s dismissal of that of the Action Alliance (AA), only three more parties are left for Tinubu to contend with. This is even as the overwhelmed Labour Party and its candidate Peter Obi were, on Monday, caught dosing off in the court, in what political pundits describe as waning interest in the proceedings.
–Peter Obi of LP dosing off at PEPC
Justice Haruna Tsammani-led five-member panel of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) has dismissed the petition by the Action Peoples Party (APP), challenging the declaration ofBola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the February 25 presidential election.
This is the second of such petitions being dismissed since the court commenced sitting on Monday, the first being that of the Action Alliance (AA), led by Adekunle Rufai Omoaje.
At the commencement of proceedings on Wednesday, APP’s lawyer, Obed Agu informed the court that his client has filed a motion on notice dated March 9, 2023, seeking the withdrawal of its petition, in which Nnadi Osita is the presidential candidate.
Agu said the motion was filed pursuant to paragraph 29(1)(2)(3)(4) of the schedule for election petition. The petition had the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Tinubu and the APC as respondents.
Obed added that his motion was praying the court to grant the petitioner leave to withdraw its petition numbered, CA/PEPC/02/2023 as well as an order striking out the petition upon its withdrawal.
Lawyers to the respondents – Wole Olanipekun (SAN) for Tinubu, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) for the APC and Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN) for INEC – did not object to the petitioner’s motion to withdraw.
Ruling on the application, Justice Tsammani said: “Having considered the application and response of the respondents, we are satisfied that there was no collision on the part of the respondents; in that case, the petition numbered, CA/PEPC/02/2023 is hereby dismissed, having been withdrawn.”
…AA too
In a similar vein, the Action Alliance had, on Monday, withdrawn its petition against the President-Elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The party withdrew the case at the commencement of the pre-hearing of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal on Monday, May 8, 2023, in Abuja. However, no reason was given for the withdrawal.
The withdrawal means that out of the five political parties and their candidates challenging the outcome of the February 25 presidential election on grounds of non-compliance with the electoral laws and guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), only 3 are left.
Chairman of the 5-man panel of Justices of the Court of Appeal, Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani, dismissed the petition following its dramatic withdrawal by the party.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Oba Maduabuchi, had announced the decision of his client to do away with the petition.
He said that Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, as well as others, had served him with no objection responses.
The development was confirmed by Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN, who stood for Tinubu and Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, who argued for the All Progressives Congress APC.
In his brief ruling, Justice Tsammani dismissed the petition in its entirety following no objections from all the respondents.
…As overwhelmed LP, Peter Obi dose off in court
Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the last general election, Peter Obi, has been caught sleeping off at the pre-hearing of Presidential Election Petition Tribunal on Monday in Abuja, prompting political pundits to insinuate waning interest in the proceedings. Will he(them) follow the footsteps of the AA and APP? Will he(they) not? Only time shall tell.
…Atiku, PDP seek live broadcast of court proceedings for openness as APM holds on
–Atiku, PDP: seek live broadcast of proceedings for openness
Meanwhile, the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has approached the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) seeking an order allowing live broadcast of proceedings of his petition.
Atiku and the PDP in an application dated May 5, is specifically praying the court for an order directing the court’s registry and the parties on modalities for admission of media practitioners and their equipment into the courtroom.
The application filed by their team of lawyers led by Mr Chris Uche, SAN, is premised on the grounds that the matter before the court is a dispute over the outcome of the Presidential Election held on Feb. 25 and therefore a matter of national concern and public interest.
They also contended that being a unique electoral dispute with a peculiar constitutional dimension, it was a matter of public interest where millions of Nigerians were stakeholders with a constitutional right to receive.
“An integral part of the constitutional duty of the court to hold proceedings in public is a discretion to allow public access to proceedings either physically or by electronic means.
“With the huge and tremendous technological advances and developments in Nigeria and beyond, including the current trend by this court towards embracing electronic procedures, virtual hearing and electronic filing, a departure from the rules to allow a regulated televising of the proceedings in this matter is in consonance with the maxim that justice must not only be done, but must be seen to be done.
“Televising court proceedings is not alien to this court, and will enhance public confidence.”
The All |Peoples Movement (APM) still stands as the northern star. But for how long? Only time, again, shall tell./SHARE THIS
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