2019 polls: 786 election petitions filed before 78 panels

Andrew Orolua, Abuja

President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa said on Wednesday in Abuja that 786 election petitions were received from participants/ litigants who were dissatisfied with the conduct of 2019 general elections.

She said that the 78 panels set up across the States of the federation to hear the petitions have begun sitting excluding Jigawa State where no election petition has been filed.

Justice Bulkachuwa disclosed this in her remark during the commencement of hearing of four petitions by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal that are challenging the election victory of President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to the President of Court of Appeal, “Imo State is having the highest number of 76 petitions which necessitated the posting of six panels to the State.”

She said that by the virtue of Section 239 (1)(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 ( as amended) the Court of Appeal have the original jurisdiction to the exclusion of other courts to hear all petitions arising from the Presidential election involving the office of the President and Vice President.

And it has handled same in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011. She said the panel proceeding will be conducted with decorum, a high sense of responsibility ,dedication and patriotism in the quest to arrive at just decisions in all petitions.

Therefore, “we don’t expect Counsel to any of the parties to hype the polity after any sitting by making a public analysis in the media as to what transpired in Court”, she said.

Justice Bulkachuwa assured Nigerians that the Court of Appeal will work in accordance and “within the dictates of the Constitution, the law and international best practices to dispense justice to all, without fear or favour, affection or ill will.”