Atiku, Secondus, others present for PEPC hearing
The Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was present at the Thursday hearing of petitions and applications at the Presidential Election Petitions Court, (PEPC) sitting in Abuja.
While the matter has been adjourned to March 18, also present in court were the former governors of Adamawa, Boni Haruna, Niger, Babangida Aliyu, Cross River, Liyel Imoke and Adamawa, Jubrilla Bindow as well as former National Chairman of PDP, Mr Uche Secondus, and Chairman of DAAR Communications, Mr Raymond Dokpesi.
The tribunal will be hearing Atiku and the PDP’s motions seeking live transmission of proceedings of the court as well as petitions challenging the outcome of the Feb. 25 Presidential Election.
In today’s proceedings, the court is also expected to hear Atiku’s application, pushing for live broadcast of the day to day proceedings with regards to his petition.
Atiku and the PDP are specifically asking the court for an order directing the court’s registry and the parties on modalities for admission of media practitioners and their equipment into the courtroom.
The application filed on their behalf by their team of lawyers led by Mr Chris Uche, SAN, is predicated on the grounds that the matter before the court is a dispute over the outcome of the Presidential Election held on Feb. 25.
They argue that the matter is of national concern and public interest, involving citizens and voters in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, who voted and participated in the said election.
They also said that the matter is critical because the international community is also interested as regards the workings of Nigeria’s electoral process.
According to Atiku, being a unique electoral dispute with a peculiar constitutional dimension, it is a matter of public interest whereof millions of Nigerian citizens and voters are stakeholders with a constitutional right to receive.
The Presidential Election Petition Court adjourned to Thursday, May 18, 2023, the continuation of the pre-hearing of the petition.
In the petition marked CA/PEPC/05/2023, the PDP and Atiku are challenging the declaration of Tinubu as the president-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Listed as 1st to 3rd respondents in the petition are the Independent National Electoral Commission, Bola Tinubu, and the APC.
The pre-hearing of the petition was taken first on Thursday morning after counsel for Atiku and PDP, Chris Uche (SAN), indicated an interest in the matter.
“I have the permission of Wole Olanikpekun to indicate interest first in number 2,” he told the tribun
