Atiku Abubakar of the PDP in court at the PEPT pre-hearing
Hearing in Atiku’s petition against Tinubu’s victory shifted to May 18
Further pre-hearing session in the petition of former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar against the election of Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been shifted to May 18, 2023.
Just like that of Peter Obi and the Labour Party, Atiku’s petition was adjourned at the instance of lawyers in the matter to enable them to put their house in order on various issues relating to the petition.
His lead counsel, Chief Chris Uche SAN, informed the court that all the lawyers jointly agreed to next Thursday’s return date to allow their teams to sort out documents to be tendered during the hearing of the petition.
Said Uche: “The first item resolved by the various counsel are documents. On this, we agreed and set up a team to look at the documents and agreed to eliminate objections while tendering from the bar during the hearing.
“We intend to do that between Monday and Tuesday and then prepare a schedule of documents to facilitate the hearing.
“The second is the issues for trial. For the petitioners, we have filed ours today and served all the parties subject to any modifications by the honourable court.
“Lastly, with respect to motions pending before the court, we have just one motion filed on May 7. That is the motion on televising the petition. We are yet to receive the responses of the other counsel.”
The senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) said he has been served with four motions — two from the 1st respondent and two from the 3rd respondent.
Uche said he has reacted to one and is preparing the other responses.
He thereafter prayed the court to adjourn the matter to next Thursday as agreed by all the parties.
The tribunal consequently adjourned the pre-hearing to May 18.
Following no objection from Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN, who stood for Tinubu, Charles Edosomwen SAN, who represented the All Progressives Congress, APC, and Abubakar Mahmoud, who stood for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani shifted the matter to May 18.
Meanwhile , the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it would file a response to an application by Atiku seeking a live broadcast of the presidential election petition tribunal.
Atiku, who is challenging the outcome of the February 25 presidential poll, had said televising the proceedings would enhance public confidence in the judiciary.
At the pre-hearing session on Thursday, Abubakar Mahmoud, counsel to INEC, said the commission would file its response to the application before the end of the day.
