Decision on live broadcast of proceedings comes Monday

INEC, meddlesome interloper in Tinubu’s defence -Atiku

BY ANDREW OROLUA, ABUJA

The Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, has fixed Monday May 22, 2023 to deliver it’s ruling on the motion on notice brought by Peter Obi and Labour Party for live broadcast of the proceedings of the court .

Presiding Justice, Haruna Tsammani announced the date for the ruling on Friday shortly before he adjourned the court sitting to Saturday, May 20, 2023 for continuation of the pre-hearing session.

Peter Obi lead counsel, Prof. Awa Kalu had on Friday moved the petitioners motion for broadcast of the court proceedings in the interest of public and prayed the court to grant it.

Prof Kalu told the court that the application was filed on May 9, 2023 with five paragraphs supporting affidavit and five exhibits marked A to E, and that they also filed a written address wherein they prayed the court to grant the main relief – permission to broadcast the proceedings live.

But Abubakar Mahmoud,SAN, the INEC lead counsel vehemently opposed the application in his 11 paragraphs counter affidavits.

The second and third respondents Bola Tinubu and All Progressive Congress APC who were represented by chief Wole Olanipekun SAN and Chief Adeniyi Akintola, SAN , respectively opposed the application and asked the court to dismiss it.

The Presidential Election Petition Court on Friday heard six other separate interlocutory applications that arose from the petition filed by Atiku Abubakar/ People Democratic Party PDP, and Peter Obi / Labour Party.

Presiding Justice Tsammani reserved the court ruling on each of the six applications.

Two of the applications were brought by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC praying the court to strike out 32 allegations contained in Atiku Abubakar petition and to strike out his response in certain paragraphs. While the other two applications were brought by All Progressives Congress APC.

Three other separate interlocutory applications were brought by President -Elect Ahmed Bola Tinubu seeking the court order to strike out what he termed fundamentally defective paragraphs in Atiku Abubakar’s petition.

APC also brought two separate interlocutory applications in which they prayed the court to strike out certain paragraphs in Atiku petition.

…INEC is a meddlesome interloper in Tinubu’s defence on my petition, Atiku tells Court

The Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in the February 25, 2023, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku on Friday told the Presidential Election Petition Court that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC , is a meddlesome interloper in its defence of Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the qualifications for the election.

Atiku specifically accused the national electoral body of being busy body and fishing in another person’s troubled water.

Atiku made the accusation through his lead counsel Chief Chris Uche SAN while responding an application filed by the national electoral body praying the court to dismiss some of his allegations contained in the petition.

INEC through its counsel at Friday’s proceedings, Mr Kemi Pinhero SAN had moved a motion on notice praying the Court to strike out some of the allegations made against Tinubu by Atiku in his petition.

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The electoral body pleaded with the Court to strike out 32 allegations made against Tinubu by Atiku in the petition challenging the declaration of Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 Presidential election.

INEC said that the allegations which formed 32 paragraphs in the Atiku’s petition should be discountenanced by the Court for various reasons comprising lack of jurisdiction.

But Atiku through his lead counsel, Chief Chris Uche SAN filed counter affidavit in opposition to INEC’S request and asked the Court to dismiss the electoral body’s position.

Uche argued  in the counter affidavit that it was not the duty of INEC to do the battle or argue the case of Tinubu who is 2nd defendant in the petition.

Specifically, Atiku’s lead counsel insisted that INEC ought to be neutral but somersaulted by turning itself to busy body and meddlesome interloper by taking up the defense of Tinubu against the provisions of the law.

He therefore asked the Court to dismiss INEC’s  motion for being gross abuse of court process, lacking in merit and grossly incompetent.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Court, Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani has fixed ruling till the date of judgment in the substantive petition.