The petitions filed by the Labour Party (LP), the Allied People’s Movement (APM), and the Peoples Democratic (Party) disputing the results of the most recent presidential election have been consolidated by the Presidential Election Petition Court (PREPEC).
The consolidation, which aims to expedite hearing of the petitions, is justified on the grounds that the issues raised by the parties are similar, according to Justice Haruna Tsammani, the presiding justice of the five-member panel hearing the various petitions challenging the declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as the winner of the February 25 presidential election.
The court decided that the petition hearing will start on May 30 as a result.
Although five political parties had initially registered their greviances against the declaration of Tinubu as winner of the presidential election, however, the Action Alliance (AA) and the Action People’s Party (APP) had, at the opening of pre-trial, withdrawn their petitions against Tinubu, remaining the LP, APM and PDP.
The three remaining petitioners anchored their petitions on grounds such as irregularities, substantial non-compliance, as well as corrupt practices etc, upon which they are asking the court to set aside the declaration of Tinubu as winner of the election.
Besides, while the petitioners are seeking the disqualification of Tinubu over alleged perjury and drug-related offences, the APM is particularly urging the court to hold that the “place holder” introduced by Tinubu in respect of his vice-president nominee was unknown to law and as such the court should void the participation of the APC, Tinubu and his Vice President-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima, in the February 25 presidential election.
Additionally, Tinubu’s return by INEC is being criticized by the LP and PDP on the grounds that he did not receive 25% of the valid votes cast in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In the meantime, Tinubu and the APC have stated their desire to refrain from additional media interviews over the court case.
Chief Niyi Akintola, a senior member of the legal team representing Tinubu and the APC, told the court that “we have agreed on this side that no lawyer will speak with the press on the proceedings.”
Akintola claims that the choice was made lately during one of the sessions by the approximately 38 SANs who support Tinubu and the APC.
Atiku and Obi’s plea for the proceedings to be streamed live was denied by the PREPEC on Monday.
