Court docket adjourns Peter Obi’s petition, Atiku’s reside broadcast request

The Presidential Election Petition Court docket on Monday adjourned Peter Obi’s petition difficult the victory of Bola Tinubu within the 25 February ballot.

A five-member of the courtroom headed by Haruna Tsammani adjourned the swimsuit till Wednesday, 10 Might, after it entertained some preliminary points from Mr Obi’s authorized crew led by Livy Uzoukwu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

Mr Obi, who was the presidential candidate of the Labour Occasion, got here third within the election, however he’s praying the courtroom to nullify the polls owing to alleged malpractices by Nigeria’s electoral fee, INEC.

Mr Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s lawyer, Wole Olanipekun, and Lateef Fagbemi, each SANs, knowledgeable the courtroom they’d filed their responses to the pre-hearing questions earlier raised by the courtroom.

Thereafter, the courtroom, which held its inaugural sitting Monday, adjourned Mr Obi’s petition till Wednesday, 10 Might.

Mr Tinubu, who was declared the winner of the presidential election on the platform of the APC, is preventing to retain his victory amid opposition events’ frantic name for an order to overturn his mandate.

One of many high contenders within the authorized dispute, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Occasion (PDP), has urged the Presidential Election Petition Court docket to permit a reside broadcast of the courtroom’s proceedings.

Prayers

Atiku and the PDP who collectively filed their petition on the courtroom are praying for “An order Directing the Court docket’s Registry and the events on modalities for admission of media practitioners and their gear into the courtroom.”

Within the request filed by his lawyer, Chris Uche, a SAN, Atiku argued that the petitions earlier than the courtroom are “issues of nationwide concern involving residents who voted over the last election.”

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Atiku additional argued that the litigation presents a novel constitutional dimension for the courtroom to find out.

“An integral a part of the constitutional responsibility of the Court docket to carry proceedings in public is a discretion to permit public entry to proceedings both bodily or by digital means.”

The petitioner additional contended that the Court docket of Enchantment’s adoption of digital listening to and digital submitting permits the President Election Petition Court docket to transmit its proceedings reside.

Citing the maxim that justice should not solely be performed, however have to be seen to be performed, Atiku mentioned, “Televising courtroom proceedings will not be alien to this Honourable Court docket, and can improve public confidence.”

This newspaper reported the same name by the Nigerian Bar Affiliation (NBA) and human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, urging the courtroom to grant permission to media homes to transmit the courtroom’s proceedings reside.

After the courtroom heard three out of the 5 petitions in opposition to Mr Tinubu, it adjourned till Tuesday, 9 Might, to listen to Mr Atiku’s petition.

The courtroom earlier held its inaugural sitting throughout which it assured all litigants that it might do justice to all events to the case pending earlier than it.

The courtroom’s assurances got here in opposition to the backdrop of Atiku’s doubts concerning the impartiality of the courtroom to find out his petition with out affect.