BREAKING: The 2023 Presidential Election Petition Tribunal Court headed by Justice Haruna Tsammani begins hearing

Barely two months after the February 25 presidential election, the aggrieved political parties converged at the Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja, the nation’s capital for a hearing of the court's decision starting today Monday, 8 May 2023.

The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal court headed by Justice Haruna Tsammani at the Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja is consisting of a five-member panel of judges - Justice Stephen Adah, Justice Misitura Bolaji-Yusuf, Justice Boloukuoromo Moses Ugo and Justice Abbah Mohammed.

At the commencement of the court session, Justice Tsammani-led panel announced that it would commence its pre-hearing session today with three petitions, they are: the petitions by Action Alliance (AA) marked: CA/PEPC/01/2023; Action Peoples Party (APP) marked: CA/PEPC/02/2023 and Peter Obi & Labour Party (LP) marked: CA/PEPC/03/2023. While the remaining two petitions would be heard on Tuesday, 9 May 2023.

You will recall that, after the general election of February 2023, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the February 25 presidential election, a situation that didn’t augur well with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party.

Upset with the result, the PDP candidate and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar who pulled 6,984,520 votes in the declared results, as well as his LP counterpart, Peter Obi with 6,101,553 votes are challenging the outcome of the election in court.

Furthermore, Justice Tsammani urged lawyers representing all the petitioners to avoid sensational comments, stressing that the court would not tolerate time-wasting tactics and technicalities.

He said, “As we commence hearing of the petitions, let us avoid making sensational comments. Let us consider the safety and interest of the country that is paramount”.

“We should avoid unnecessary time wasting applications if objections so that we can look at the substance of the case rather than unnecessary technicalities”.

“Let us corporate with each other so that everyone will be satisfied that justice has been done.”

Responding, lead counsel to the President-elect, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, assured the court of the maximum corporation of his team, saying there was the need for the matter to be determined without recourse to unnecessary technicalities.

Also, the head of the team of lawyers representing the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, said they would do everything possible to assist the court to do justice.

Dr Livy Uzoukwu, SAN, who is representing the Labour Party and its candidate, Mr Peter Obi, noted that the petitions were of great public interest, saying “At the end of the day, I am very confident that the petitions will impact on Nigeria’s jurisprudence and constitutionalism.”

“We will do everything possible to assist your Lordships,” he added.

Likewise, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, through its lawyer, Mr A. B. Mahmood, SAN, expressed confidence in the electoral body on the ability of the court to do justice on all the petitions before it. He stated that “My lords, we are confident that at the end of the day, justice will be done,” Mahmood, SAN.