The grievances filed by opposition political parties and their candidates contesting the election of Bola Tinubu as president-elect are about to be heard by the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) and Mr. Tinubu were proclaimed the election’s winners by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
However, a few opposition candidates and their parties filed petitions to contest the results within 21 days of INEC’s announcement of the results on March 1.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which is running Atiku Abubakar for president, and the Labour Party, which is running Peter Obi, are among the petitioners.
The other three are the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), the Action Alliance (AA), and the Action Peoples Party (APP).
The petitioners claim that INEC violated the Electoral Act and that Mr. Tinubu and his agents engaged in additional election-related fraud.
The election petition court will begin hearing cases today, Monday, to resolve the controversies surrounding Mr. Tinubu’s victory, which is buried in unprecedented litigation.
The pre-hearing session of the petition court will be conducted on Monday by a five-member panel of justices, most likely under the direction of Monica Dongban-Mensem, the President of the Court of Appeal.
At the proceedings, the panel members will be introduced for the first time.
The panel will be formally introduced at Monday’s hearings, and the process for deciding on the numerous petitions will be outlined.
According to premiumtimes the inaugural hearing held between 9.14am and 10.30am.
10.30am: Panel went on a break.
10:45am: Court resumes sitting.
10:46am: Action Alliance’s petition called.
Lawyers announce appearance.
10:47am: AA’s national chairman, Adekunle Omo-Aje, announces appearance in court.
10:48am: Plateau State governor, Simon Lalong, introduces self as Mr Tinubu’s representative.
10:48am: Court says Mr Lalong cannot represent Mr Tinubu, but APC.
10:50am: Oba Maduabuchi (SAN) announces appearance for the AA party.
10:56am: Confusion ensues as Malachi Umuebe also announces appearance for the AA party.
10:58am: Mr Maduabuchi insists Mr Umuebe does not represent the AA.
11:00am: Court discountenances Mr Umuebe’s appearance because he didn’t file any petition on behalf of the AA party.
11:01am: Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN) announces appearance for INEC.
11:13am: Wole Olanipekun (SAN) announces appearance for Bola Tinubu, president-elect.
11:19am: AA’s lawyer, Mr Maduabuchi informs court of his application seeking to withdraw his client’s petition challenging Mr Tinubu’s victory.
11:23am: INEC lawyer, Mr Mahmoud says he has no objection to the withdrawal of the petition by AA.
11:24am: APC lawyer, Mr Fagbemi did not object to the withdrawal of the petitioner’s lawyer.
11:26am: Mr Al-Mustapha’s lawyer, Sani Mohammed, has no objection to the withdrawal of the petition.
11:33am: Court dismisses AA’s petition.
11:35am: Court calls another petition filed by Action Peoples Party (APP)
11:36am: Peter Abang announces appearance for Action Peoples Party (APP)
Mr Abang is the National legal adviser of APP.
11:38am: Obed Agu announces legal representation for APP.
11:41am: Wole Olanipekun (SAN) announces appearance for Mr Tinubu (respondent).
11:46am: Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) announces appearance for APC.
11:50am: Abubakar Mahmoud announces appearance for INEC.
12:05pm: Lateef Fagbemi, APC’s lawyer informs court of his preliminary objection to APP’s petition.
12:09pm: INEC lawyer, Abubakar Mahmoud, informs court of his client’s pending applications in response to APP’s petition
12:11pm: Court adjourns APP’s petition until Wednesday, 10 May for continuation of hearing of the petition.
12:19pm: Court calls Peter Obi’s petition challenging Mr Tinubu’s victory.
12:20pm: Mr Obi announces appearance.
12:21pm: Obiora Ifoh, Labour Party’s national publicity secretary, announces self as LP’s representative.
12:22pm: May Agbamuche-Mbu announces appearance on behalf of INEC.
12:23pm: Simon Lalong, Plateau State governor, announces appearance for APC
12:24pm: Labour Party’s lawyer, Livy Uzoukwu (SAN), announces appearance.
12:31pm: INEC lawyer, Mr Mahmoud announces appearance.
12:35pm: Wole Olanipekun announces appearance as lawyer to Mr Tinubu and vice president-elect, Kashim Shettima.
12:40pm: APC’s lawyer, Lateef Fagbemi, announces appearance.
12:45pm: Mr Obi’s lawyer, Livy Uzoukwu, informs the court that he filed answers to questions raised in his client’s petition.
12:49pm: INEC lawyer, Mr Mahmoud, informs court that the electoral commission has filed its responses to the pre-hearing questions.
12:50pm: Wole Olanipekun, Mr Tinubu’s lawyer, informs court that his client has filed his answers to the pre-hearing questions.
12:53pm: APC’s lawyer, Lateef Fagbemi, says he has filed answers on behalf of his client to the pre-hearing questions of the court.
01:00pm: Court adjourns Peter Obi’s petition until Wednesday, 10 May.
