Afrigather The Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal sitting on the Courtroom of Enchantment Abuja has adjourned until Monday for the continuation of the petitions filed by the peoples Democratic Get together and it’s Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar until Monday twenty second Might, 2023.
The Tribunal additionally adjourned to the identical date the petition filed by the Labour Get together and its presidential candidate Peter Obi, difficult the result of election.
The five-member panel of Justices of the court docket led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, the presiding justice of the tribunal stated the adjournment is to permit the events to consolidate the modalities for the primary listening to . The events are anticipated to determine and agree on the variety of witnesses that may testify, the time to be allotted, for examination and cross-examination.
On the resumed listening to on Obi’s petition on Saturday, all respondents filed and adopted purposes and counter affidavits nudging the court docket to dismiss Obi’s petition and reply to their utility.
The Unbiased Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC) by way of its counsel Abubakar Mahmoud, filed 4 purposes in opposition to Obi’s petition. The primary one seeks to strike out sure paragraphs of the petition, the second is to strike out floor 2 of the petition, the third utility is praying for the putting out of the petitioners reply, and the fourth utility is in search of permission to make some minor amendments to its record of witnesses.
Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima (second and third respondents) have three purposes to strike out or dismiss Obi’s petition for being incompetent, to strike out paragraphs of the petition, and to strike out total reply filed by petitioners to their utility
The fourth respondent, the All Progressives Congress (APC) can also be in search of to dismiss or strike out Obi’s petition being incompetent supported.
Adeniyi Akintola, member of the counsel for the APC, additionally knowledgeable the court docket that in keeping with the Justices’ directives, all of the events have agreed on the variety of witnesses and the time to be taken for examination and cross-examination examination throughout the listening to.
The events proposed modalities for the listening to earlier than the court docket. The LP and Obi is asking three to 10 witnesses , the INEC have 5 witnesses, Tinubu and Shettima have 21 witnesses and the APC have seven witnesses.
Obi’s lawyer, Awa Kalu, nevertheless, decried that the INEC was but to make accessible licensed paperwork as requested. However, counsel to INEC, Mahmoud nevertheless, stated there was no hiccup in accessing the paperwork.
Justice Tsammani reserved ruling on the purposes in search of to dismiss Obi’s petition to the ultimate day of judgment.
The tribunal may even give its closing ruling on the modalities for the primary listening to on Monday, and Obi and Atiku’s utility for dwell broadcast of the proceedings on Monday , twenty second Might.
The pre-hearing session is predicted to finish on Monday, and the court docket will resolve the modalities for the primary listening to.
In the meantime, the PDP and its presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, proposed to name no more than 100 witnesses for his petition difficult the 2023 presidential election
Additionally, the Unbiased Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC) is proposing to name 22 witnesses for the petitioners (Atiku and PDP), 39 for the second respondents and 25 for the third respondents on Atiku’s petition.
The events made this proposal on the resumed pre-hearing session on Saturday.
Counsel to Atiku, Chris Uche stated, “For the petitioners, we intend to name no more than 100 witnesses, since most of them are simply to undertake written statements”.
He additionally famous that although the the legislation permits seven weeks to current their witnesses, they would want solely about three weeks or much less to take action.
“The problems are narrower and are principally constitutional; so that they received’t require a lot time to find out. For example, the difficulty of FCT,” he informed the court docket.
Uche, additionally recommended that there must be no cross examination of a repsonsdents witness by one other respondent, which was countered by counsel to Tinubu.
Justice Tsammani, after listening to the proposals adjourned until Might twenty second, the continuation of the pre-hearing of PDP’s and Atiku’s petition in opposition to Tinubu.
It’s because all events are but to agree and harmonise proposed schedule and modalities for the primary listening to; the variety of witnesses that may testify, the time to be allotted, and time for examination and cross-examination of witnesses.
The petitioners and 1st respondents (INEC) have met and agreed on variety of witness and time allocation. Chris Uche counsel to Atiku stated the events intend to name no more than 100 witnesses.
However counsel to APC, and Counsel to Tinubu stated they weren’t aware about the assembly between the petitioners and the primary respondent, therefore they’ve some points they’re but to agree on.
However, all of the events proposed to allocate extra time for the primary examination of star witnesses by about half-hour, a few of them to be subpoenaed, to current their testimony on oath.
